Cindy’s Reflections on our Career Break

Well, we are getting settled back in Jax and it feels good to reunite with the wonderful friends that we have here. One of the things I realized while traveling is how important our friends and family are and how much I missed spending time with them! I have accepted a part time dietitian position with Walgreens Take Care Clinic for Johnson & Johnson Vistakon with a tentative start date of October 28. I think it is going to be a great fit for me!

It has been such a great thing to step away from the day-to-day hectic schedule of working these past 16 months.  I have been working or in school (or both) since I was 16 years old, and it felt so good to take a real break, to slow down, and to live each day for whatever it brings.  So, here are some things that I have learned during our career break:

• Don’t let fear prevent you from a great experience. The anticipation is usually the hardest part.
• Be open to tossing your original plans out the window. Something better might, and probably will, come along.
• As often as possible, live in the moment. It is the only way to truly feel content.
• Security is what you make of it.  Find out what makes you feel secure and let go of everything else.
• Less stuff = less stress.
• Spend as much time as possible outside- it’s good for your mental health.
• Family and friends are the most important things in life.
• Healthy eating, exercise, and a sense of humor are the fountain of youth.
• Don’t sacrifice your health for your job.
• Don’t be too afraid to try something scary.  It will make you stronger and less afraid.
• Be accepting of the faults of others, you have them too.
• Surfing is good for the soul.
• Contrary to what our local news stations would have us believe, most people are nice and good.
• The U.S. is really beautiful, and we really do have it good here.

While I love to travel and have visited an array of amazingly beautiful places, I realize that Florida is my place in the world.  It is where I began and there is nowhere else I have found that I would want to live.  I can’t imagine my life without Florida’s warm ocean waters, sandy beaches, salt water breezes, gentle waves for surfing, salt-water fishing, mild winters (which are still sometimes too cold for me:), and even the humidity (yeah, maybe I’m crazy but I like it!).

Taking 16 months off of work also made me realize how happy I am that I studied nutrition and became a dietitian.  I truly love what I do and actually missed it!  I feel that this break has given me more confidence in my career.  It has given me time to reflect on my philosophy of nutrition and I feel that I will be a better dietitian for it.  

And, saving the best part for last, this break has strengthened my relationship with Chris in the best way.  I always felt that we have a great relationship, but it’s been so awesome to get to share these amazing experiences together, and to just spend our days together.  I actually have missed him during the day this week as he went back to work.  I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to spend the best part of our days together for 16 months.  You definitely get to know someone inside and out when you live in a 15 foot trailer for 4 months!  

So, to sum it up, here is a quote from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, one of my favorite movies, which I think is something important to remember as we go on:  “Live moves pretty fast.  If you don’t stop and look around every once in a while, you could miss it.”