No Longer Writing in My Parents' Basement
"I think I want to quit my job,” I said to my parents, while 1,245 miles away from my job. They looked at me, careful not to say too much, so I heard nothing. In my mind I’m wondering how to articulate that yes, quitting my job during a time when so many can’t find work, losing my health insurance during a global pandemic is a tremendous risk, but staying put is riskier. I don’t say that. Instead I say something like, “I’ve been having to spend a lot of time alone and when I’m able to quiet my mind, I feel everything around me telling me it’s time to go.” Yikes, did that make sense? How do I tell my parents that when I was sick for a month and couldn’t see friends, couldn’t make any human contact, I connected with the trees I could see from my balcony? How do I tell them I spent my summer alone watching the birds and noticing how they fly with no map? Does this sound crazy? Have I accidentally gone mad?
