My two-week home leave was over in the blink of an eye. I saw my family, Ben and some friends, watched my cousin get married, worked three days in our Southern California offices, worked remotely every day, and ate American food. Sadly, I didn't make it to the beach, the pool or a yoga class. The list of things I wanted to do was long and the firm and my family's expectations too great.
It felt nothing like a vacation. It was exhausting and draining. My heart was full of frustration, resentment and even some anger by the time I boarded my plane back to Japan. I didn't want to leave.
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| Air Force One was parked outside the terminal the morning I came home. |
The most important thing I can do now to make sure I'll be able to make positive changes when I get back to the States is exercise financial discipline. This means minimizing food expenses and continuing to pay off student loans and save as much as I can. (Related: last month I reached a financial milestone: my combined 401(k) and IRA balance passed the $100k mark!)
In the meanwhile, I will try not to worry over things I cannot control or change while I'm here.
Four months to go.
Four months to go.
2 comments:
OMG, congrats on the retirement milestone! That's awesome!
Congrats on your retirement!! That's fantastic!!! (Mine is about $3,000... sooooo.... haha)
I was thinking about you recently. I've started reading Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. She has a lot to say about taking opportunities that seem like huge risks - including working internationally for a period of time. You might like it, if you haven't already read it, as if you have time to read anyway.
I hope you get some rest!
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