My sabbatical

This fall marks the first time in 10 years that I haven’t thrown all my energy into reaching out to the next class of college freshmen/first years with Intervasity. It’s a little bit weird to see all of my friends posting about what they are doing to reach more students, etc. but it’s also a little bit amazing. For the first time in probably 7 years I am investing more in myself rather than new students.  I had been planning on leaving my job for over a year before we moved but the last year of it was so difficult, so intense, that I put all of my energy into just making it to the end with as few casualties as possible.

Obviously all of that has left my body and soul rather weary and in much need of a long break. Thus the idea of my taking a “sabbatical” was born. While an unofficial sabbatical in that no one is paying me to take it it is official in the way that I am thinking about it (I even have a sabbatical director). I wanted to share my hopes and “plans” with you to help me verbalize and solidify them.

My overall thought/theme for my sabbatical year is investing in myself & my life with Sam. Sabbatical comes from the Greek word sabbatikos meaning “of the sabbath.” And when I think about the sabbath I think about rest, fun, & connectioning w/God. So as I think about what I want to do this year…I am asking myself what would be restful/fun/help me connect to God and/or be an investment in myself and marriage and our life together?

What came to me was an idea around seasons…

“Hazy crazy lazy days of summer”: this summer has been characterized by doing a whole lot of nothing (other than the gargantuan tasks of moving over several states and buying a house). I have slept a lot, watched a whole lot of Netflix (Inc rewatching Gilmore Girls), and occasionally had motivation to do some of things I envisioned myself doing when I imagined my sabbatical like baking gf bread or doing yoga.

“Fall=transitions”: when I think about fall I think about the leaves changing, transitioning from green to yellow & red. My life will be full of transitions this fall: moving into (and preparing to move into) a new house, moving out of my sloth faze and thinking more intentionally about what I choose to do, really entering into this new life here, hopefully transitioning into a new spiritual community, etc. I am taking a 6 week painting class that I am pretty excited about… hopefully I will bake more and do more yoga and find a new rhythm with God. I am also taking a trip to Waco with my mother & sister in laws that I am very excited about!

“Winter=mystery/stillness”: I have never experienced a real winter so what that is like is definitely a mystery. I also don’t know what it will be like to be a new homeowner or what this season will really bring. I am hoping for stillness. Maybe I will go on a silent retreat during this season? It would be lovely to have a season where things are quiet and we don’t have a lot going on and we can just enjoy living in our new space and each other. I am excited to play in the snow and for crafting new things for our new house.

“Spring=new life”: because I have never really experienced a winter I have also never really experienced a spring or the season of new life after the dead of winter. I am excited to plant a vegetable garden at our new house & watch it grow and I hope this season will bring new ideas for what comes next for me. I hope that I will be starting to feel the renewal of my sabbatical year and be full of new life myself. I would love not to be so tired all the time and not to feel like my soul is weary by the end of this.

I am still figuring out what connecting with God looks like in the midst of all of this and am sure these thoughts will evolve over time but that is what I am thinking about for now, and for now I think it’s enough.