Processing: Leaving my job…

After 18 years as a journalist at Bloomberg, I’m taking a year to travel the world with my family.

So, day 1. How was life outside the studio?
How was the lack of commute, lack of incessant news and lack of on-air commitments?
Friends…it was chaos.
Relaxed breakfast as a family, and moments to reflect were in my dreams.

Of course I’m still walking on air from the extraordinary last show and warmest of goodbyes made with Bloomberg - you can catch up with me battling my emotions here.

But while walking on air, I’m also now wading through life admin, as we ready to embark on our travels.
Of course the dishwasher broke on the day I’m moving out of the apartment, of course I’ve given myself just this one day to tidy and transform before my new (very lovely) tenant moves in, and of course our wonderful cleaner Cheryl remains the most dependable person I know…and happily you’ll hear more from her as she joins us in The Philippines on the trip.

My first revelation is already upon me…
That five days in the office protected me from chaos.
I did not deserve sympathy for my 5am starts, and intense work schedule. Instead, I deserved a wry smile of acknowledgment that I skipped the morning school-run drama and random house defects. The chaos that hijacks your day, simply can’t when you’re quietly sipping your tea on the train at 6am.

I knew this, having experienced it a month before when taking an ad-hoc day off to try and get ahead of some of this planning - and instead spent the day racing my daughter too and from the doctor having discovered a tick in her scalp mid force-feeding of oatmeal while our son laid out with a 4th day of the flu. I knew this, and yet still…I hoped all would run smooth. Eternal optimist…or fantasist.

All of this is written with recognition of the “middle-class woes” of it all. I am not unaware of how incredibly fortunate all of this is - the travels, the apartment to rent, the home appliances defects…

All of this is also written with the deep thanks I feel for Ben, my husband who has been the one having his work-from-home life hijacked up until now. The one who dealt swiftly with the latest strep diagnosis, shrugged off forgotten “spirit days” and panic ordered cookies when in fact it was the other dad “Ben” in the class who promised to provide them at Special Friend’s Day.

We are about to head out together on what will be most incredible year of travel. But it will be chaos. There will be flights missed, destination restaurants skipped and temples ignored…as that is what the day will hand us. And that’s OK.
We’re upending life a little…it’s going to upend us back.
And that’s all part of the process.

So, what are you processing? As always, lmk your thoughts when life hands a healthy dose of chaos? And any advice on how to handle the transition from a life of routine to new adventures?