My wife jokes that my tombstone might just have an unfinished quote that says: “I wonder if…” on it. I’ve always been curious, and growing up in the internet age—now living in the AI age—means there’s almost always an answer available (and another rabbit hole of learning to go down). But what’s been surprising about planning for this career break is how it’s rekindled not just curiosity, but a deeper sense of wonder. This is true about the planning generally, but especially about the technology tools I’ve been learning (more on this to come in future posts).
Professional life, for many of us, follows a cadence. You study, maybe get a degree and go to grad school or law school, and enter the early stages of your career. You build, you prove yourself, and if you’re fortunate, you advance. Promotions, responsibilities, and sometimes compensation stack up. You might have a partner, children, a mortgage. The arc isn’t identical for everyone, but it’s familiar—and for many of us, relentless.
The problem isn’t the structure itself—it’s how easy it is to get stuck inside of it. Especially if your identity, your ambitions, or even your sense of worth are tied to following the next step. Before you know it, decades pass, and the idea of “what else” fades into the background.
This break came at a curious time—professionally, personally, and globally. With AI shifting the shape of work and the economy in transition, the moment was ripe for stepping back. And what came rushing in was a surprising sense of openness. Not just to rest, but to reimagine.
What would it mean to have months without deadlines? To think about how you feel in the morning, rather than what’s on the calendar? For us, we’re anchoring that question to something we love: international travel. We’ve made this sabbatical our choice—an exploration of ourselves and the streets and villages and cultures of towns on three continents.
I don’t know exactly where this all leads. But I know I’ve rediscovered something important. A blank space. A return to wondering. And maybe that’s enough for now.