On the Horizon

I know it’s cliché, but time really flies. It’s been 2.5 months since Artie came into our lives, and five weeks since Ryan returned to work. I feel like we’re all finally finding our groove, which means that I’ve had a lot more time to dedicate to myself and think about what’s on the horizon for my sabbatical and other personal projects.

Diet & Fitness

This doesn’t have anything to do with my career exploration, but this was the first postpartum personal project (read: non-baby pursuit) that I took on. Throughout my pregnancy and in the weeks following childbirth, I felt like my body wasn’t my own. This was a frustrating and constraining feeling after enjoying months of a sabbatical that was centered around reclaiming myself, my passions and my pursuits.

I’ve been watching and tracking what I eat, and I’ve incorporated strength training and cardio workouts. Aside from the health benefits, it’s also been a great way to ease back into the practice of goal-setting, planning and tracking progress.

Acting

Even if it never ends up being a profession, theater and acting will always be my passion. And I wasted no time getting back on stage. Last week, I started rehearsals for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Bay Area Stage Productions in Vallejo. It’s been nice having regular, built-in time for artistic development.

I’ve also gotten back into the swing of auditioning, in an attempt to line up shows for later in the year. The big question I’m still mulling over is how much I’m going to explore professional acting pathways this year.

Podcast

The Bring Your Own Movie podcast had to go on a brief hiatus, as everyone involved got really busy. But we will be back very soon! In fact, the team just got together today to produce live Oscars commentary on the podcast’s social media channels. It was a nice, lightweight way to reintroduce ourselves to our fans and start producing content again.

We also discussed recording plans for this year’s episodes and other podcast-related projects we might want to pursue. It feels good to be putting on my producer hat again.

What Else?

Well, as I have mentioned in some of my recent posts, I really am considering returning to work some time this year, even before I’ve settled on that next career path. That might be returning to my old industry for a few years or maybe entering one of these new fields.

Here are some to-dos around this topic I’d like to accomplish in the next few weeks:

• Meet up with a friend to hear about a position open at her company
• Research day care options for Artie to understand the costs
• Make a list of my must-haves for going back to work (minimum salary, benefits/perks, location, schedule, etc.)

It’s been a bit of a relief to finally be able to think about future plans again. There’s a lot for me to research, consider, and figure out … and I can’t wait to share it all with you when I do!