After returning from my Puerto Vallarta trip, I luckily had a whole week to relax and recharge before starting my new job. I’ve been in an unlucky groove of getting sick after my big trips and so I thought it would be smart to allot some time to potentially recover in SF.
And just like clockwork…I got food poisoning right when I got back. It must have been something I ate on the airplane of all places, ha, but I was bed-ridden and running to and from the bathroom for two days after my trip.
After recovering, I had a few days to do my thang: walk around the city, see friends, watch Netflix, work on this blog (I redid my travel page!)…I definitely savored each and every moment of this final free time since I know a lot of things will change after starting this new job.
Some highlights of my last days of funemployment: I went to the SF zoo! It was surprisingly huge and had lots of adorable animals. I’m pretty sure I was the only adult without a kid in the entire zoo but I had my own fun 😛
An afternoon on Ocean Beach. It’s been chilly these days in SF and that caused lots of sea foam to form on the beach…I’d never seen anything like it! So unique.
Caught up with Sophie over tacos in the Mission :). We’ve both been traveling a bunch and had so much to catch up on. I told her all about Colombia, Guatemala + Mexico and she caught me up to speed on her amazing Japan trip!
On Sunday, I set out for a solo hike on my favorite trail in the Presidio. It was a beautiful, clear day, and being in nature completely lifted my spirits. 8 miles total with talking to Michelle on the phone for half of it, it flew by!
Overall, I’m really excited (and anxious) about starting my new job, in the job itself but also in all the ways my life will change. 2018 was NOT a year of balance for me. It was definitely filled with “extremes” as I was either miserably grinding away in exams/interviews/work or having the time of my life traveling the world. My old job was mostly remote which meant I was hardly in one place for more than a month – I counted and I’ve taken 30 flights this year! Not exactly a recipe for stability…
This was also the first in four years that I didn’t run a marathon. My reduced running definitely added to this sense of imbalance; I definitely want to reflect on this in another post soon.
So all in all, I’m really excited to start this new job: actually get to go into an office everyday, make new friends, stay put in SF…it’s weird to say that I really am looking forward to being “normal” and rebuilding my life in SF. I’m sure once I settle into my new routine I’ll miss the days when I was running all over the place…but right now, I deep down am craving balance and having a stronger sense of home here in SF.
Plus, now that I don’t have actuarial exams to study for (hallelujah!!!!!!), I’m thinking about how I want to spend my extra time. I feel like I have a whole new perspective on life now that I’m not tied down with these exams. I really want to live the rest of my 20s to the fullest, make up for lost time and what-not. I know a Spring marathon will be in the picture and I’ve also started looking into volunteering in SF. 🙂
I haven’t felt this motivated and genuinely excited for my future in a long time.
I Run Like A Girl 