Reply #19: In the process of it as I type [View All]

[MountainLaurel]

My husband and I are moving from Washington, D.C., to Maine, looking for a higher quality of life beyond professional achievement. Not that I was ever that career focused (I come from an area where work what you do for 8 or 10 hours a day, not the focal point of your life), but Mr. Laurel for a long time had dreams of being a policy guru or the head of the UN High Commission on Refugees. He will be working in a job with much lower "status" than some he's had, but at the same time no one will be expecting him to put in an 80-hour workweek for $30K or to flirt with a federal manager at a conference so that he can get some questions to answers about new procedures. Meanwhile, today is my last day of work at a place where I have been given many opportunities for professional development beyond my day-to-day duties. I'm facing either unemployment or time in a part-time position that should be full time, without health insurance or other benefits. There's a full-time job I've applied for, but hiring is on hold due to budget cuts.

I think one of the first things that will happen for us, in terms of adjusting, is taking advantage of opportunities to enrich our life outside of work: hobbies, sports activities, educational opportunities that aren't work related, our pets, etc. I'm looking forward to reading and knitting more, and once we buy a house by husband plans to create a woodshop (carpentry and a one-bedroom condo do not go well together).

I'll keep you posted as the process goes on.

Good luck!