Re(de)fining Work
Learning to Lie Fallow
Last August, I voluntarily left a challenging, stressful job as a nonprofit executive, thinking I might take some time off before throwing myself into my next job search. I had gotten used to working 6 days a week since December 2020, when I accepted a full-time position as a nonprofit CEO alongside my part-time call as a parish priest in the Episcopal Church. This pattern continued after I moved from Chicago to Philadelphia in July 2022, when I took on a new nonprofit CEO job, and then in January 2023, another assignment as a part-time parish priest. I have been bivocational for many years; and to be honest, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Making a difference in both religious and secular communities energizes and fulfills me.
Yet I will confess that the surfeit of stress accumulated over many years had taken its toll. For the record, this was attributable mostly to unique features of specific jobs, rather than my bivocational arrangement per se. As a driven, high performer, I had pushed myself to be an exemplary CEO and an exemplary priest. I had accomplished a lot; but I was depleted. My brain felt like mush. I wasn’t sleeping well. I was frequently irritable for no apparent reason. So, when I had the option to take some time off, I took it. Not everyone enjoys this level of economic privilege and has the choice, so I am very, very grateful.
