Living on Someday Island feels good. It feels really good.
What’s Someday Island? Well, it’s a place I borrowed from my friend and fantastic Life Coach Patricia, who has a true vocation for helping women find and listen to their inner voice.
I met Patricia in March 2014, when I started my new job in a brand new company. I spent just over 2 years being an employee there, but they weren’t the most straightforward.
3 weeks into my brand new job, with a brand new manager who had entrusted me with this vacant position in her team, I had to tell her that I was pregnant.
5 months later, I was saying goodbye / see-you-in-one-year to all the colleagues and friends I had just made.
Babies and builders
My third son was born, and we spent the first 6 months or so trying to adjust to life with a child in Year 1, a sweet, busy 3-year-old who loved being at home with Mamma all day, and a new (thankfully quite chilled) baby.
Then it was time to rock our lives a bit more, as with a new baby and clearly not enough on our hands, we started a big house renovation project.
The chickenpox struck in the middle of it all, and things got just a tiny bit crazy.
Returning to work
Until the dust settled again.
House project was completed, baby now one year old, and the time came for the dreaded return to work. We decided on a nanny who would help with the logistics of dropping the older two to school (and school nursery) and would then spend the day with the little brother.
I decided to return to work 3 days a week. This would allow me to spend the mornings with The Little Guy, the early afternoons with The Middle Guy and off to sports with The Big Guy after school pick up.
The madness
It all worked ok for a while. We all got used to the new routine, but I was always exhausted. Armed with a Fitbit I soon realised I was easily clocking over 10,000 steps on a work day and about 17,000 on a day at home with the children.
I was always on the back foot. Always late. Always rushing.
I’d be home from work slightly late, with The Little Guy wanting to pin me down on the sofa for milk and cuddles, The Middle Guy wanting to play sports, and The Big Guy not yet home from his after-school lessons.
The Husband would often get home, and no one had been fed. Let alone that, there was no food made either.
Bed times were always, inevitably late. Followed by a round of clearing the kitchen, tidying up and getting everyone’s things ready for the next day.
It was manic. It was mental. And it just wasn’t sustainable.
In the meantime at work…
Thankfully there were people at work who I could talk to about this.
I wasn’t the same person I used to be. I couldn’t just think about work all the time. And I was mentally exhausted by everything else that was going on at home and around me. I wasn’t enjoying it. I wasn’t ‘feeling it’.
One day, Someday, I’d love to be able to work from home, 5 days a week. I’d love to be able to work around the children. Be there to drop them off at school. Be there to pick them up. To support their after-school activities without having to choose which child gets to do what and when because Mamma has to be in the office. An office that’s over an hour away and forces Mamma to be out of the house for 10 hours a day.
One day, Someday, I’d like to write. I was almost too embarrassed to say it out loud. But when I started saying it out loud it didn’t sound that impossible anymore. “I know I have a book in me. I just don’t know what it is yet”, I’d say.
The Universe stuck its nose in it
After my bus accident, I realised how manic life really was. Almost by chance, and with completely different intentions, I was lucky enough to have a meeting with a Life Coach at work, and things were never really quite the same since.
Things had to change.
Something had to give.
I wasn’t winning.
Perhaps on paper it looked like I was, but I didn’t feel like I was winning at all. The feeling of ‘having it together’ was slowly abandoning me.
The decision to leave
After a lot of soul-searching and looking at the situation as logically as I could, with the help of The Husband and my friends at work, it was clear that something had to give. And that something, for now, was my job.
It wasn’t easy.
Insecurity and self-doubt crept in, and it took me (a very logical thinker) a long time (about 3 months) to finally see that it was the right decision.
My inner voice was shouting at me by now. I had other ideas. I felt like my path was elsewhere.
It feels good to be on Someday Island
The road to get here was a bit bumpy. I never even finished my notice period at work (or got to say a proper goodbye to my friends) – I had an unlucky fall, broke my leg, and couldn’t walk and was forced to really slow down (or, rather, stop) and adjust for a few months.
But this blog was born as a result.
And now I’m on Someday Island.
I am at home with my children. I drop them off to school, and I pick them up. And I spend time at home with The Little Guy while he’s still too small to go to school. I am here for them after school.
And when I can, I write.
It’s not at the pace that I want it to be, but nearly 5 months in, I have learnt and done a great deal. Someday Island isn’t Someday anymore. It’s now.
And the book I had in me came to me, and it’s (very) slowly but surely being written.
Please think about my story. Think about my friend Patricia’s too.
And think about YOUR Someday Island. Go for it.
This is great. I was at church this morning and the sermon was on not forgetting your dreams, this is very apt. I didn’t go back to work after my second, who is now 2. I don’t regret it one bit. Life can still be manic, and finically we are in a different place, but I enjoy it and can do things like Blog! I love that your writing a book, good for you. I often wonder whether it’s something I could do? Some days I feel like I have forgotten what it is that I want to do or need to be doing. As a Christian I believe that God has a purpose for me, this has really spoken to me. I have really enjoyed reading this. Thank you. Xx #Blogstravanganza
Author
I totally agree – my life still feels a little bit manic. And we’re definitely in a different place financially, but I think it was the right thing for us as a family, and for me too. Yes, I also believe there’s an overall plan for you, and when you hone into it and work with it, I think great things will happen! Good luck with it all!
What a wonderful take on Someday Island… I can’t wait for a signed copy of your book.. Proud of you cookie xx
Author
Well, hang on! It might just be an e-book! 😉 Thank YOU for inspiring me, always! xx
This post has a fabulous message. It sounds like even though things may have gotten a little hectic along the way you have found yourself in a truly happy place. Thanks so much for sharing with #Blogstravaganza xx
Author
Thank you 🙂 Yes, things got a little hectic, and to a certain extent I still feel that we are too busy and doing too much. I hate always being in a rush from one place to the next, but I have definitely found a better place. And I hope it can get even better! 🙂
Wow, well done! I think I might join you on Someday Island. Maybe it will be where I finally finish my own book…!
Author
Oh that’s so exciting! Tell us more about it! 🙂
I can absolutely relate to this post. Over a year ago I decided that rushing around all the time feeling totally drained wasn’t working for me so I changed direction cut my hours and now I’m slowly starting to work on what I want to do, which seems to be similar to you. My book will come one day and I look forward to reading yours. Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next Sunday
Author
Yes, it sounds very similar! I’d love to hear more about your journey too Tracey, and I love your writing style, so can’t wait to read your book! I think my first will be non-fiction and quite niche, so not too exciting for a lot of people, but it’ll be a start, and hopefully the first of more!
#postsfromtheheart I adore this and love the concept of someday island. I also love the honesty of making your decision to stop and redirect / that is never easy. Welcome to your island and for living everyday x
Author
I can’t take credit for the concept, but I can definitely say it feels super good 🙂
Glad you are loving life on someday island. I too am on it and have been for just over a year. The doubts of arriving there slowly faded and the horizon of where next slowly drifts into view but for now, someday island is a fab place to be and makes me the best version of myself.
Thumbs up to you for braving it too.
#KCACOLS
Author
Love it, love it, love it Cassie! So inspirational! Thank you for your comment, and I’m glad we’re ‘neighbours’ 😉
Hi! Glad to have found you via #PostsFromTheHeart ❤ your pre-island life sounds so hectic! I can definitely see that something had to give.
I too gave up working outside the home, I was just 2 weeks away from returning after my maternity leave, and my partner got a job offer which meant we had to relocate 2 hours or so away from where we lived. We jumped at the chance! It’s been hard, money can be tight but I’m definitely nearer my island than I was 😊 great read and good luck with your book!
Author
Thank you Em. It was indeed hectic! And I’m somehow getting very close to making my Island life hectic too, so I must be careful! I do hear what you say about it being hard and with money being tight! But I think we’re better off on Someday Island than sailing towards it 😉 Thank you for your lovely words and good luck to getting to your island too!
I’m glad that things are working out for you – Things were definitely too hectic before. #kcacols
Author
Thank you Bread 🙂 They definitely were, and I must be careful not to slip back into bad habits again!
Wow this post is very inspirational. Sometimes something has got to give and it sounds like you got to the right mental place to do that. Best of luck. #KCACOLS
Author
Thank you Zoe – I’m glad you found it inspirational! 🙂
Author
Nadine, that sounds absolutely amazing! 🙂 Please make that happen! 🙂
Aww, this is beautiful. Someday Island sounds like an amazing place, glad you made it x
#PostsFromTheHeart
Author
Thank you Alana 🙂
Good luck with going after your dreams and achieving them. #brillblogposts
Author
Thank you Helena 🙂
My life is getting to that point as well where something has to give. Too many hours spent rushing around and chasing my tail. I am not sure what my options are at present but i can see it all coming crashing down very soon. Thanks for linking up with #postsfromtheheart
Author
Oh Becci, I so know the feeling! Please don’t let it crash down. I did, and it wasn’t pretty. My problem was that I recognised the need to change, and I even set the change in motion, but I failed to actually, well CHANGE. I learnt the hard way, and I’ve already noticed slipping into old habits. It’s not easy – in fact, it’s really quite hard, but please don’t let it crash. Hugs! x