Hell yes to all of this! I have been there and you describe it in such a painfully accurate way. It’s also weird when you try and explain to others who are just like, I would do soooo many things if I was in that situation. But you can’t truly know unless you’re in it.
Thanks for this. I feel this in my own life right now. I moved to Portugal because I feel better here and the culture definitely aligns more with my values than the U.S. However, I have essentially been "retired" for a year, at 50, and I'm not ready to be retired. And I can't financially retire yet even if I wanted to. So, I have too much free time and not enough focused meaningful work. And I'm lost on a daily hike around Lisbon.
I do have meaning. Because I have focused on creating relationships and community. And I have created a supportive network of wonderful people in a short time. However, they all have jobs. I do not. I don't even a have a dog anymore, that gave my day some sort of routine. Then, I feel like I should be pouring all my effort into my Substack, because I have so much time. Yet, I don't do it. I'm not sure what my purpose is.
Hell yes to all of this! I have been there and you describe it in such a painfully accurate way. It’s also weird when you try and explain to others who are just like, I would do soooo many things if I was in that situation. But you can’t truly know unless you’re in it.
It’s like we forget we are people with emotions and think we can just robot our way out of it. :)
Thanks for this. I feel this in my own life right now. I moved to Portugal because I feel better here and the culture definitely aligns more with my values than the U.S. However, I have essentially been "retired" for a year, at 50, and I'm not ready to be retired. And I can't financially retire yet even if I wanted to. So, I have too much free time and not enough focused meaningful work. And I'm lost on a daily hike around Lisbon.
I do have meaning. Because I have focused on creating relationships and community. And I have created a supportive network of wonderful people in a short time. However, they all have jobs. I do not. I don't even a have a dog anymore, that gave my day some sort of routine. Then, I feel like I should be pouring all my effort into my Substack, because I have so much time. Yet, I don't do it. I'm not sure what my purpose is.
Yes! It can start to feel really uncontained, and it’s hard to have perspective from that place. You’ve got this. <3