What I did on my Summer Vacation.

This time last year, I was working as an assistant to a hedge fund manager and being paid more money in one year than I had made in the first five years of my career combined. However, I was working 10 hour days with the understanding that my work duties took priority over my personal life, catering to the whims of an increasingly eccentric billionaire. I had a health issue turn into a crisis, and during a month of recovery after surgery, I realized that I had to get out of there.

My reasons for leaving were clear: 1. The work was becoming unreasonable. I was managing intensely personal matters at the office -- things that should have been handled by the personal assistants (yes, plural) working from his home. 2. The economy was tanking and I couldn't, in good conscience, continue to work for a hedge fund that was participating in the type of investment vehicles that drove the collapse. 3. I was increasingly conflicted about working for a company whose sole business was to make incredibly wealthy people into insanely wealthy people.

The final straw was when I realized that my time no longer belonged to me. I was working for a company that demanded my attention at all times. I couldn't take lunch breaks, because I was required to be at my desk. (I ate catered food at my desk.) I couldn't go on vacation without making sure I had electronics and internet access, and was required to check in daily while out.

I turned in my notice and resigned at the end of the first quarter of 2008. When I quit, my stress level was over the top. It took a full month before I started to relax. My stomach settled (I think, but never confirmed, that I had an ulcer) and the muscles around my eyes and mouth stopped twitching. My blood pressure went down and my resting heart rate lowered.

For the next five months, I did whatever the hell I wanted to do, whenever the hell I wanted to do it. I painted my walls. I planned a major renovation to my property (stay tuned, it hasn't happened yet!) I went to museums. I took photos, went on trips with my friends, painted, made jewelry, and enjoyed the surge of creativity and artistic pursuits that came with complete freedom of time. I pampered my sweetheart to excess. I worked out at the gym, planned menus and cooked gourmet food, took sailing classes and otherwise became a lady of leisure. It was amazing.

I couldn't have done this without my amazing S.O. He knew the value of a summer off, having once had the opportunity to do so for himself. I couldn't have done it without putting a chunk of money in a savings account so I could keep the bills paid. I also had a time line - I knew that I would be looking for a new job at the end of the summer.

Professionally, I say that I took a sabbatical instead of a vacation. It was a rest from work, a chance to recharge, create, and assess where I wanted to go next and what I want to do. It's the time I took to realize that while the window office and the fat salary are awfully tempting, the amount of stress, sacrifice, and most importantly, the loss of time, are not worth it to me.

Coming soon: My new job, and why I love it.