@ -12,10 +12,10 @@ I've tried to be as objective as I can be about these experiences, and recognize
Don't get me wrong - I would _love_ to happily and proudly return to my "current" job. However, those adverbs are doing a lot of heavy lifting - I suspect that the changes that would need to happen between now and then would be less changes in my perception, and more changes in the company and the organization that I work(ed) for. Rather than saying "_I want to have the opportunity to return to that position_" (I do! This is not in question!), I am saying "_I want the position to become one that I am proud to return to_". Time will tell whether that is possible[^5].
In any case - I try to avoid using shady manipulative engagement-boosting "Call To Action" tactics in these posts, but in this case I genuinely do want to hear experiences of people who've taken similar breaks. How did you fill your time? What structures did you use to make deliberate intentional use of the time? How did you re-evaluate your relationship with work?
In any case - I try to avoid using shady manipulative engagement-boosting "Call To Action" tactics in these posts, but in this case I genuinely do want to hear experiences of people who've taken similar breaks. How did you fill your time? What structures did you use to make deliberate intentional use of the time? How did you re-evaluate your relationship with work?
[^1]: Similar to a [sabbatical](https://www.google.com/search?q=sabbatical), except that it differs from OED's definition in that 1) it's unpaid, and 2) it's 3 months for nearly 10 years' work, rather than 1 year for 7. Academia certainly has its problems, but this sounds like a pretty sweet deal!
[^2]: [This tweet](https://twitter.com/jonrog1/status/1532202848879923200) helped me reach a measure of peace with the first two, and, y'know, _hopefully_ I'll be dead before the third one really affect me.
[^3]: My emigration from England to the USA was prompted in large part by waking up one day and realizing that my romantic relationship was..._fine_. Satisfactory, bumbling pleasantly along, but not something that enthused or motivated me. Lest you think I uprooted my life as an excuse to get out of a relationship, that line of thinking then led me to recognize that my then-job was similarly fine, and to start thinking about how I'd never lived in any other country (and how that would only get harder as I accumulated commitments and dependents), and, well, one thing led to another[^4]...
[^4]: For the avoidance of doubt, my current primary romantic partnership is spectacular, wondrous, life-affirming, and by quite some measure the best thing to ever happen to me.
[^5]: I have nothing but respect for my coworkers, many of whom are doing great work (and I'm not just saying that because this is public and they might read it!). Rather, the culture of the organization is one that does not align with many things I consider important. I gave significant feedback about this to my manager in the hopes that it will be escalated, and will do so again at the end of the three months LOAD no matter what the outcome.
[^5]: I have nothing but respect for my coworkers, many of whom are doing great work (and I'm not just saying that because this is public and they might read it!). Rather, the culture of the organization is one that does not align with many things I consider important. I gave significant feedback about this to my manager in the hopes that it will be escalated, and will do so again at the end of the three months, no matter what the outcome.
