On Friday, I finished up at the best job I’ve ever had. It was a job that relied heavily on me physically, and the stress combined with the level of activity needed for me to be effective became too much. I had no life outside of work. I had to turn down hikes, bike rides, walks, parties. I have the ability to make money without sacrificing my personal life, so it’s time to do that. 

I’m taking a break. I’m looking for part-time/contract/full-time sedentary or remote work, and I’m going to try to heal myself. Maybe I’ll sew and sell things on Etsy. I’ll definitely make costumes for Burning Man. I’m going to get healthier and have a better quality of life. 

To prevent myself from staying in bed all day during this initial break, I’m creating a morning routine for myself: get up with Jesse, make us both a smoothie, and once he leaves for work, do some yoga and write at least one paragraph. It can be anything. It can be a status update, or a little story, or another part of a running story. I want to be better at writing, and the only way is practice. So here we go… 

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She wasn’t human, but she was vaguely human-shaped. She rose slowly, undulating, rippling with the tiny variances in the space around her. Particles scattered as her internal light came on; she was glowing white, gently pulsing with what might have been her heartbeat (if she had a heart). Looking around (without eyes), she saw another glow in the distance, a light like her own, less white, more warm. There was comfort in that light, so she decided to move toward it – until she realized she couldn’t.

For a thousand years, she stared at that light.

Over the next thousand years, the other light slowly dimmed until it was gone.

For another thousand years, she cried softly.