Part 1: A Vision for Sabbaticals

“There is a geological term, isostasy, which is defined as the tendency of something to rise, once whatever has been pushing it down is removed. While it is intended to describe the way the earth, rocks, and mountains remain in balance across the planet, it is useful to know that even the earth itself rises when any pressure or obstacle is removed or worn away.”

What if we, too, are governed by these same laws?

When we finally allow a space of stillness in which the relentless noises, pressures, and responsibilities of our days can gradually fall away, something ancient, wise, and true within us actually begins to rise; we awaken, we grow larger, we claim our full stature. We are liberated from those relentless downward forces, and our undeniable, inner hidden wholeness, sensing the promise of freedom, sun, and sky, breaks ground and bears usupward.

What if we actually believed that this hidden wholeness were really true? What if, as an experiment, if only for one day, we lived as if we believed that there lived in us some reliable strength, wisdom, and wholeness? 

What if we were to pretend that, regardless our health or mood, our fortunes or circumstance, we would remain quietly wise, accurate, and trustworthy in our judgments and actions? 

Even more, what if we could actually feel, sense, and know, with unshakable certainty, that wherever we went, into whatever company or situation we were called, we would carry with us always this capacity to move with confidence and trust into any situation?

How would we think, act, choose?

How would we respond differently to the world during such a day?

—Excerpt from, “A Life of Being, Having and Doing Enough” by Wayne Muler

What is a sabbatical?

In my life, I have experienced what it’s like to live without pressure and to create without pressure. I have experienced myself as someone who was valued and precious and part of the team, simply because I exist. Not because I possessed some exceptional skills or ability. 

I know what it’s like to be human, loved and worthy at my core. I know what it feels like to spend days, weeks and months in this space of acceptance.

And I know what it’s like to not be human.

I know what it’s like to treat myself like a machine, a content creation factory, a project to be managed, an wild mustang to be reigned in. I know what it’s like to feel all the work squeezed out of me so that there is nothing left anymore, to scrape the bottom of my barrel so dry that if I don’t refill the tank, the barrel itself might break down. 

This is why I need the practice of sabbaticals.

In the years that I spent travelling, I experienced that sense of “hidden wholeness”. I saw that Life itself had a way of guiding, helping and loving me. I didn’t need to push everything. I felt a deep sense of trust that something was carrying me along on a beautiful adventure. 

Then I spent the last 6 years trying to navigate the modern world of work as I lived in the Toronto area and worked “normal” jobs. Jobs that had deadlines, expectations, bosses and goals. I enjoyed the challenge to perform, and I excelled in it, usually finishing my work fast, thinking ahead and exceeding expectations. Until I had to do that again and again.

By Year 2 in the city, I realized the pace of work was very different from being a solo entrepreneur and freelancer and you could say that I’ve spent the last 6 years trying to figure out how to be me, work a job and not burn out. 

All these years of working, I always planned to take a sabbatical after 6 years of working. Sabbaticals are an ancient practice. The art of taking a break from one’s daily life and going on a pilgrimage to seek guidance and wisdom from a higher source. 

Modern life (by which I refer to live in developed Western countries) seems to have largely forgotten this practice. When was the last time you heard someone say, “I’m going on sabbatical next year”?

Growing up, I was always familiar with sabbaticals because my parents are pastors and they would get a sabbatical from their church work every 7 years. 

They would talk about it in the 2-3 years leading up to their break. The sabbatical might be 3 months or 6 months off, where they didn’t have to do the regular church work like preach, plan services or lead small groups. My dad would dream of taking courses or traveling. 

Then when I got a job at a university, I would hear about sabbaticals from faculty, as they also looked forward to time off the grind of of marking papers and running courses. 

But what about a sabbatical for me?

How My Sabbatical Dream Started. 

When I worked as a traveling content creator, I didn’t need a sabbatical from my work life, because I had a healthy balance of work and play. Now, I don’t think that was the perfect life, nor would I want to do that now, but for that time I had full control over my work, travel and play schedule and could usually take whatever rest I needed, whether it was an afternoon or a few months off. 

Once I got to my life in the city in 2018, things became different. Like so many others, I had a finite number of “days off”. I had to show and “work” on days when I felt empty. I couldn’t control my work timelines. 

Sometimes adapting to someone else’s schedule was helpful. Over time, however, work crowded my life. I watched how my tendency for more led me to work multiple jobs, take on freelance projects, and do a masters degree while working full-time. 

All the while, I hung onto the idea of going on sabbatical in my 7th year. 

During the toughest times, my finish line was the Sabbatical. Even if I messed up, leaned too heavily into my work and started to burn out, I would tell myself, “it’s okay. You’ll get to recover properly when you go on sabbatical.

My sabbatical, planned to begin in Feb 2024, was my lifeline to a world I remembered, a dream-world I had touched in my travels. But I didn’t want it to just be a re-living of the life I had in my 20’s. I needed to learn and integrate a different way to live.

I do believe that “there lives in us some reliable strength, wisdom, and wholeness” and that if I give it time, it will emerge to help me recalibrate my life. 

A Life With Sabbaticals

I intend to take sabbatical my whole life. There are a few reasons for this: 

I see sabbaticals as one of the essential Christian practices that connect me deeper with God and who he is creating me to be. 

As a creative, sabbaticals also feel essential to helping me refill my creative tank. I need to see new things, learn new things, meet new people and discover new parts of myself in order to keep creating and evolving. 

I feel the need to not let the increasingly fast pace of life swallow up my soul. I have come to understand the need for dormancy. There are number of beautiful books that inspired around this area. Check out the work of author Christine Valters Paintner if you want to read more. 

It will benefit me in my professional life. At the very least, my sabbaticals will make me an interesting person on any team! At their best though, they also open up space for me to transition into new industries or lines of work if I want to. During sabbaticals, I have space to think about what I really want in life and if desired, I can pursue more education, apply to new jobs, or simply step out into new territory and see where the wind takes me. 

I actually feel a little disappointed that  I take a sabbatical every 7 years, I if will only have 8 sabbaticals if I live till 90! However, I plan to still take plenty of smaller journeys and breaks in the years to come. 

Most of all, sabbatical feels like a time for me to recalibrate. It’s a time for me to contemplate all that has happened in my life, and integrate its lessons and wisdom. It’s a time to gather myself, before another big season of work and creating. Just like every car needs a tune-up here and there, a sabbatical is a tune-up for my mind, soul, spirit and body. 

In Part 2, I will share I went about planning my sabbatical and how I made transition from a season of intense work to a season of travel and rest.