You can read Parts I, II & III here, here & here respectively.

An Epilogue

Sorry I need to blabber more. Because I got a few questions centring around “So what do you do now?” & a couple of unsolicited advice saying something like, “Think and judge your constraints and keep trying with good corporate houses and either by outsourcing/ in house keep yourself engaged and try to give positive outputs.”

So, what do I do now? Or how do I keep myself engaged now? Let me count the ways –

I walk.

So, I have always loved walking, but I was erratic with the regularity because… life (blah)! However, now, I walk for 45 minutes (well, technically, 42 walk + 3 jog) for at least 21 days in a month. I know 45 minutes are nothing compared to what a few other people do.

But I am proud of how regular I have become. & those 45 minutes are completely me-time. No household responsibility, nothing on my mind… just the breeze in my face & the chirping of birds in my ears. I also hope to participate in a walkathon in 2021 winter. If you wish to accompany me, please feel free to contact me.

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I blog.

If you are reading this, you know this already. I have always loved writing, but a fulltime job did not allow me to write as frequently as I wanted to. Once my sabbatical began, I invested energy & time in setting up & maintaining two blogs – personal & travel. The travel blog also asked for social media pages.

So, I set up the Let’s Go Sightseeing Facebook page, Instagram profile & Twitter handle. The next (logical) question I get asked is – “Do you earn from blogging?” & my answer is “No, I don’t”. For blogging to start paying, you’ve to be blogging for years & have an organic growth OR be a big – time hustler.

Forget about big – time, I cannot even ‘hustle’ to save my life. Being shy IRL, I find it difficult to reach out to people & to ask for favours/ collaborations. I cannot even bring myself to ask people to follow my blogs or social media pages. Another reason is that professional bloggers publish at least three posts daily. I, on the other hand, write when I want to. When an idea pops in my head or an emotion in my heart.

Thus, I have made peace with the fact that I will remain an impoverished, struggling blogger! :D Jokes apart, I must admit that I am privileged I do not have to worry about not earning. Not everyone has that privilege & thus I am grateful to the universe for this.

(On that note, please do follow my blogs and social media handles! :D & on my travel blog, you CAN buy me a cup of coffee. Wink!)

I edit/ write.

This is kind of related to the above, but this is what I do for others. A few friends & ex – colleagues have gotten their articles/ papers edited by me & have been nice enough to pay me for it. Let me take this opportunity to ‘hustle’! I am open to editing any articles or submissions; please feel free to reach out. Hustle over!

I have also written articles for Women’s Web. You can read them here – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Of these, the first one garnered 4,00,916 views & a bit of controversy. :D & then, ultimately, my piece was adjudged among the 25 most popular articles on Women’s Web in 2018.

I read.

I was born & brought up in a family that devours books. Not literally of course! Till b-school, I read & read & read in my leisure time. But b-school & the ensuing working years decimated my reading habit. From the beginning of my sabbatical (2017) till now (April 2021), I have read >100 books.

I read only fiction earlier but have expanded my genre now. My reading habit has become so famous in my family & friend circle that I get books gifted to me randomly. Please feel free to reach out to me for book recommendations or even to borrow books. Alternatively, feel free to follow me on Twitter to read my 280 – character book reviews.

I travel.

I cannot have a travel blog without traveling, can I? Even when I was working, I averaged eight – nine trips a year. Most of my trips are long weekends; so quite manageable. & a couple of long ones. However, what has changed after my sabbatical –

1. I do not have to carry a laptop on my trips.
2. I do not have to receive phone calls to extinguish fires (or, at times, to answer banal queries).
3. I do not have work at the back of my mind.
4. I enjoy the trip with a peaceful mind.
5. I undertake more solo trips.
6. I undertake more sightseeing within my city.

So, if you want to go somewhere but are not getting company, & you are not up for a solo trip, please feel free to reach out; I’ll be happy to accompany.

Alternatively, if you need travel recommendations, feel free to hit me up. A couple of friends asked me to open a travel company, but I enjoy traveling myself: I’ve zero inclination towards coordinating others’ travels. Research & recommendations yes, kich kich no!

I bake.

Again, I have always liked baking, but I was bad at it because I would not give my cakes the patience they needed. (This needs a separate blog post!) I can confidently claim I am a better baker now. & a quirky one at that. No run – of – the – mill cakes from my oven please! I have churned out cakes like Cinnamon & Vanilla Cake, Custard Cake, Mango Cake, Dorset Apple Bake, Ginger & Orange Marmalade Cake, Lemon & Blueberry Cake, Gluten free Mud Cake, Mango Cardamom Cake, Chocolate Banana Biscuit Pudding, Marble Banana Bread, Eggless Papaya Sponge Cake, Thandai Cake, Upside Down Pineapple Cake, Black Forest Cake, Upside Down Orange Pound Cake, Nolen Gur er Cake, Banana Chocolate Ragi Cake… phew!

My cakes have been praised for their novelty & taste. (I just ate a humble pie!) So, if you are in Delhi NCR & are craving for a homemade cake, please feel free to buzz me. Do remember I am not a professional baker; I just enjoy whipping up cakes that can be warmed up & that will remind you of your childhood. (Hustle alert – I will be happy to be paid for it too! :D)

I nurture.

I mentioned in an earlier post how my sabbatical allowed me to be there for my loved ones when they got into a spot. Being on a break has made it possible for me to always help my parents/ in-laws. I have accompanied my mother to her medical school reunion to Bhagalpur; else she would have been unable to go.

I have managed to be a part of my extended family’s joys & sorrows. Ditto for friends! I have managed to be a literal 3 AM friend when someone has needed me. I also brought Fluffy home. Ever since we got married, N & I wanted a dog but because both worked, we dilly-dallied. One of us being home fulltime made it possible for us to give a home to a puppy. & trust me, a puppy sure knows how to keep one engaged!!! :D

Sure, ALL the above can be done with a fulltime job but the question posed to me was “so what do you do now?” & not “so what EXTRA do you do now?” I know I am not answerable to anyone (but a few) but I felt I needed to put this out there too.

I do not want to give a false impression of being ‘successful after a sabbatical’, though that depends on your definition of success. But I am certainly contented after a sabbatical. I am open to editing & writing assignments but still unsure if I want to return to a corporate setup.

Lastly, once again, I am thankful for the privilege I have got of being able to hang up my boots & follow my heart. Not everyone has this privilege & I am eternally grateful to the universe for it.