| Reflections | Day 36 Since Leaving the Office

More than once, I’ve received messages or comments asking, “You’re always traveling—where does the money come from？」

?” It’s such a cute question. “Work, of course!”

Perhaps because this page has always focused exclusively on travel, I’ve somehowcreated the impression that all I ever do is have fun (shrugs). But I really dowork hard (and overtime), you know! Two weeks after returning from my three-month trip around Australia and Europe, I startedthis job in marketing and advertising, where I stayed for exactly three years until last month.

Whenever I traveled, friends would say, “Isn’t it time you gave up your comfortable life andfaced some challenges at work?”

But last month, the closer I got to my final day,the more anxious I became. Part of it was knowing I would no longer see my wonderful colleagues every day,but my greatest fear actually came from leaving behind the familiar routine of daily life.Every Monday through Friday, I would wake up and go to the office, working through my to-do list and emailsone by one. Then I would go home and rest, and at the end of the month, my salary would land in my bank account—and then the whole thing would repeat.

That was when I realized that work had somehow become my comfortable life.

To be honest, it was also because I hadn’t been giving myself enough excitementoutside of work, so I resorted to the most drastic escape from my comfort zone: quitting my job.

Now, every morning, the only person I have to face is myself. I’ve set myself the goal of “getting things in order”:organizing my travel memories, tidying my surroundings, and sorting through my thoughts and feelings, as I graduallyfind my way back to a life full of challenges.

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