I’ve always prided myself on being a productive person. Over the last decade, I rose through the ranks of my ad agency, regularly bringing in new clients and work. But at 35 I suddenly found myself ready to take a step back and make what I want a priority for once. And that’s when I decided: I just really wanna focus on getting these last bits of salad from the bottom of the bowl onto my fork.
I’ve loved my work. But it’s never left me with enough time to tie up other loose ends – specifically taking some time to sit down and enjoy a real meal for once – namely getting all those bits of salad on my fork. You know, the ones that really stick. Now that I’ve put in notice, I’m going to sit back and get all those stubborn bits that you really have to scrape at to get a good bite at the end.
I won’t just be relaxing, obviously. I’ll travel a little and try different salads from around the world that I’ll consume to exhausting completion. But overall I want to be able to spend time in my own home, by myself, eating every bit of a salad, even the cheese that kind of adheres to the side of the bowl, instead of rushing off to a meeting or chasing another sales lead.
While I’m proud of the work I’ve done in my career, I don’t love thinking of the salad bits I’ve wasted over the years during my chaotic work schedule, but it’s nice to know that’s just one phase of my life. And now I’m entering a new phase, where no sliver of baby spinach gets left behind. It’s exciting and a little bit scary – but this is something I’ve saved and planned for since college (specifically, saving to be able to comfortably afford Sweetgreen for the foreseeable future).
I’m not judging the women who are still struggling to have it all and might not be able to live the way I do. Namely, having to choose between career and relationships and eating all of the salad. We’re all entitled to our endeavors. But now that I’ve been there, I’m ready to simplify and focus on quality of life. Getting every last piece of avocado and iceberg is priority number one.
So if you need me, sorry – my email is set to an out of office reply: “Brb, those perfect salad chunks await!”
