I have 7 days left at my job.
Seven days.
On Monday I told my superiors that I would not be returning to my job in the fall. And freedom fell over me like a longed-for rain. This is something that I have wanted for a really long time and I feel like taking this step is one of the best ways that I can start working toward my dream.
Over the past few months my husband and I have discussed the possibility of me taking some time off working in my current position and focusing my energy on what I really want to do — finish writing a book. I know there are people out there who look at this decision and say that plenty of folks write a book and work 40 hours a week…so what makes me think I need/deserve to do this?
I haven’t been healthy for a really long time. There’s nothing overtly wrong with me, but events that have transpired in the past few years (essentially the entire time I’ve been married) combined with the stress of work and just life in general have made things tough — physically and mentally. This will be a much needed break from what I was doing and will hopefully give me the time and energy to focus on who I am — a writer.
This is the right decision right now. I’ve felt it in my heart for a very long time and the support and excitement that friends and family members (who have known about this impending move) have shown encourages me. Forward motion is a good thing and that’s what I’m focusing on.
It may not be the easiest thing for us to do right now, but some of the best things in life can be the hardest to come by. I am trusting God…no matter how scary or uncertain the future looks…this is the right thing.
Now, all of this has been decided for some time, though only absolutely certain on Monday. Yesterday, we received some bad news (and rather tiresome, at this point).
My husband doesn’t currently have a job for the next school year.
Oh, isn’t Life funny?
I could cry.
(I did.)
I could laugh.
(I have, but it took a day.)
I don’t know what is happening around me, but there’s nothing new about that.
Forward motion. Taking steps, not just toward what I want, but who I am. There have been tears, but my world is tinged with a pure beauty — the knowledge that what is meant for me will not pass me by…even if it does decide to circle me a few times like a bird unsure of where to land.
I’ll let Babs take it from here. Because today she is appropriate, says it better, and you know me…I’m a sentimental cheeseball at heart 
Thank you for your kind words after the news yesterday and your support. You all, the ones who have been there over the years, have been incredible. THANK YOU.
Oklahoma girl through-and-through. Writer, aspiring domestic goddess and totalitarian dictator. Taking on the world one carb-induced coma at a time. Co-host of Picture Shows & Petticoats. 
Hope this all works out for you, and that Kevin is able to get a new job quickly! Good luck and God bless.
Thank you, Katie. I am confident that this is a move in the right direction and I think that Kevin will find a job soon.
Cool, I’m glad for you.
I was blessed to have the opportunity to work closely with you and know that you have so much to offer the world. You absolutely need/deserve to take this time to follow your dream. Life is too short not to! And that business about Kevin not having a job for next year seems like just another little test for your both that I have no doubt you will pass with flying colors and come out of it even stronger and both living your dreams. What more can you ask for right?! I am proud of you for having such courage and am waiting on the autograph! XOXO
Shannon
Thank you, Shannon! If nothing else, the overall response I have had from others at my news has been a huge encouragement. It’s a possibility right now, so why not follow my heart? Thank you
I appreciate you and your support.
Hey girl, I’m thinking about you guys.
Thank you, Christi! That means a lot to me
I often look back at the most difficult times/changes in my life and (much later) realize with surprise, “Huh! So God really did know what was better for me, and look where I am now.” I hope that the same holds true for you & K a year from now, five years from now, etc. Wishing you both success, wherever these new roads lead you, individually and together. Hugs!
Thank you, Melissa
So many changes on the horizon for both of us. It will all work out for the best in the end, I am sure. I appreciate your kind words.
Tears warmed my eyes as I read the irony of you quitting your job one day and your husband finding out that he is in the same boat the next. Oh how I know & understand that boat you’re in. But you’re doing the right thing. God has a plan. He is carrying you (& your husband) in his arms at the moment. I have a tickle in my belly as I can only imagine the splendor that God has waiting patiently for you both to embrace.
Aww! Thank you, Wenderly! It does feel like we’re on the cusp of some wonderful changes. I’m ready to embrace them, whatever form they come in.
I’m excited for you guys and know that all will work out the way that is best. Good luck & I can’t wait to read your book!
Thank you, Paula! At the very least, letting people know I am writing a book is going to keep my on my toes. I’ll let you know when it’s done
I can so relate… I chose not to try and find a job this summer and now there is no real way I can, and then in April Gray was let go from his jobs, so now we’re both unemployed.
It’s super scary, but at this point all we can do is have faith.
I’m sure you will be fine.
Thank you, Becca. We’ve been down this road (kinda) before and I do know that it’ll all be right in the end. I will be praying for you guys as well.
I’m so thankful we serve a God who doesn’t close one door without opening another. I’m thankful that He’s always on time, even when we wonder. Will trust and believe with you for the answers you need!
I appreciate that so much! Thank you, LeAnna!
What a wonderful step of faith & courage, sweet lady! Congratulations. I will be keeping you in my prayers, especially with your husband’s job situation. I’m so excited for this book you’re writing!
It is an exciting time. I can’t wait to see what happens
Leaving your (traditional) job behind is a big step. I took it myself a year and a half ago. I was consistently sick and weighed down with the knowing of being in the wrong place, not part of the plan. The burden was lifted and now I allow God to provide and lead me. If you are following in obedience to Him, you can be sure that He will provide for you and your husband. It can look scary at the outset, but in my experience it has been absolutely worth it! Praying for you!
Whew. Sometimes a girl just needs to hear that she’s not crazy, right?
Thank you, Becky. I know exactly the feeling you are talking about.
Elizabeth, this IS big news and I’m so happy for you! Sometimes “thinking about making the decision” is actually more arduous than making it. I completely understand your general malaise (as though your body and your spirit were fighting against each other until you aligned them with your “purpose” — a writer, YES!)
I’ve been undergoing the same thing since last winter — a vague, undefineable “yuck!” — but suddenly (after giving notice last week to stay home and “write!”), I felt incredibly buoyant. I suspect you do, too. This was meant to be! Follow your heart and God will work out the details — including your hubby’s job.
Oh, I needed to hear this. Happy I am not alone in this boat. Things already feel brighter, don’t they? I can’t wait to see where this road leads.
P.S. Never mind the folks who work 40 hours a week and write, too. We’re not cut from the same mold! No need to justify what works for YOU. And (totally unrelated), thanks for the hair tutorial!
Psh. I agree! I don’t know how they do it (more power to them), but it is not the kind of work I was cut out for. We’re going to do it our way (like Laverne and Shirley
)
Hope the tutorial was helpful or at least a little entertaining!
This makes me so happy! I am so glad that you are following your dreams, but more than that, I am so blessed by your faith to stick with this decision even after the whole situation with K’s job has come up. I know that you have prayed long and hard over this decision – and it’s almost like God is asking you to just trust in Him regardless of the fact that he has no job. You’ve learned to trust in His provisions, and I pray that both of you will continue to do that. And now I’m going to go cry and pray over this some more! Love you guys so much!
Thank you, dear friend
There are going to be some ups and downs, I am sure, but good will come of this. I feel like I’m taking the first step on a journey to where I am meant to be.
When the Lord was calling me to step out & re-boot Exemplify into what it is becoming today, the timing could not have been worse for us. On paper it seemed like it was the most crazy thing to do because we need/ed an extra income after a very hard year of unemployment.
But you know? God made it work. He provided, we got through it, and I can honestly say I would do it all over again at this point. Even when some days are harder than others.
The One who has called you is faithful, and He will do it.
Praying for you both in the coming days! We’ve so been there, so I really understand.
<3
I needed to hear that. Thank you!
I am so excited for you!! This is going to be such a dare in your life. To step out and trust completely in Him. It’s terrifyingly exciting….and worth every moment.
I hope this also helps you health-wise and I cannot wait to read that book one day!
Praying for Kevin as he searches for a job….believing something even better than what you could imagine is going to along!
Beauty is coming.
<3
I agree. Thank you, Christy
I almost sent you a pity party email last night and decided not to. I should have, though I think you are a little more deserving of a pity party than I am. BUT—I am excited for you and your writing! That is awesome! As someone who has done the quit my job and enjoy life for awhile—it is worth it and every day I wish I was still doing it. You will get through it and I know Kevin will find something worth his while—and if not, maybe he can work on something of his own.
*hugs* and I will probably send you that email soon!
It’s scary, but I know it will all be fine. And send me that email!
I know the difficultly of making the decision to be employed or not, and I am so happy to hear that you have followed God’s leading in this. I am trusting that He will provide for you guys–in bigger ways than you could ask or imagine.
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