I wanted to begin a public blog to share some writing samples and some aspects of the changes in my life as I transition from one career path to another. I have been calling it my well-organized midlife crisis. I have spent over 20 years as the principal or director of education for 4 temples. I have loved the work but really began to burn out in the past few years. When contract negotiations time came up again, I discovered that I was simply done.
I did not accept a new contract at my workplace nor did I search out another one. My husband and I packed up and moved out of New Jersey and back to New England, our home and that of most of our remaining family and lots of dear friends. I accepted a dear friend’s invitation to stay with her for 3 months of a much-needed sabbatical that intersected my 50th birthday. I am coming to the final third of my sabbatical time of reading, napping, hiking, learning new skills and trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.
Freelance writing seems very intriguing. I have always had reasonably good writing skills and have enjoyed writing for fun as well as work and academia. So learning to blog in an organized fashion as opposed to the hit-and-miss grumbly style I have used on other more private fora.
I enjoy teaching religious school, so I am delighted to have gotten a gig teaching 5th grade boys. The sheer relief to be one of the monkeys and not the ringleader of the circus is astonishing. All of a sudden, the creative energy and passionate interest which I felt had been missing for so long is back.
Another Sharp Left - Taking the turns at 50 and above 