on sabbatical

putting pen to paper, or sitting in front of the keyboard in this case, after a two month long hiatus is hard. i joked to my friends that i was on sabbatical after working so much the first half of this year. and truly, stepping away from the computer and the cyclical nature of a life online has been a blessing. i rarely checked my email and was able to wholly ignore the "25% off" and "free shipping" messages that constantly bombard me (even though i'd unsubscribed from everything i still receive so many ads!)

this summer i was walking on a balmy evening down cobblestone streets with elodie in the french riviera town of antibes. our trip was winding down and i started to turn my attention towards home and all that meant. still summer. not working. beginning new projects. spending time with my family. i asked elodie what she missed most and she replied "i miss my stuffies" and i asked if we could stay gone for longer if she would. i knew the answer was yes for me but was surprised it was for her as well. than i began thinking what i missed the most about being away. the answer was, and still is, nothing. 

sure i miss friends and family. yes, creature comforts are nice (i really missed mexican food and doing laundry at my house - i was a wrinkly mess at the end) but i missed none of my material possessions. it is nice to take time to reevaluate what matters most and at this point for me, if i am with my family and near an ocean, than i am happy. i would let someone clean out my closet in exchange for allowing me to spend one more day exploring somewhere new. i've always been this way but have lost track of it in the last few years of homesteading. it seemed for a while we were always acquiring something new. 

the definition of sabbatical at it's core is a rest from work or a break. tripping the circuit to see things in a new way is something we could all stand to do much as some people are eating clean for 30 days or sharing what makes them happy for 100 days. 

right now i feel uprooted in the best way possible. detached from the cycle of needing things. i don't want to look at mood boards or shop a sale. or look at my phone for that matter. i know soon the old habits will creep back in but for now i'm savoring this blank slate.