I literally just got back from California a couple hours ago. I think the word “exhausted” definitely captures what I’m feeling.
I sat next to a lovely couple and their baby. The man and I began chatting about our time in California and what was waiting for us back home in Boston.
He was a banker and his wife a part-time nurse. Their baby was 10 months old and a relentless flirt.
They both listened as I shared about my job and how I’m reconsidering what I want to do long term. Something in the creative field, I said. But I’m not too sure what that looks like.
Grad school? A possibility. Studying design? I’ve thought about it.
I shared this New Yorker cartoon with them that sums it up quite well:
They heard me out and a few things the man said stood out to me:
- Everything you add on to your life (i.e. getting a dog, buying a house, having a baby) makes it harder to make a career switch possible.
- Although what I want is very broad, it’s an exciting time to figure out what it’s going to be.
- He feels the same way when he sees his wife — she has a set career path as a nurse but he never really knew what he wanted from the start.
It was comforting to hear that he understood where I was coming from.
It was encouraging to see how he interpreted my standing as a good thing.
And I think all of this was another push to get me going in the right direction.