The end of summer is almost here. I’ve always felt a bit mixed about this time of year, wanting to stay in the past but barreling toward the future. Summer reminds me of vacations from school, dipping my feet in waves lapping at the edge of the ocean, and picnics in the backyard. But the end of summer is also a time to look forward to new adventures and the warmth of fall holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving.

This fall also marks a turning point for me. A two year countdown to the future. Because in the fall of 2019, I’ll be quitting my real life job as a lawyer to write full time. And that also leaves me both wanting to move forward and having a hard time letting go of the past.

I know I should be grateful that my husband and I are in a position to make a transition from our full time day jobs to something a bit more flexible. We’re planning on spending nearly half the year on our boat, sailing to some of the places we’ve only dreamed about visiting in our sailboat—tiny islands in the Caribbean, the Chesapeake, and maybe even the Great Lakes. But I’m also a bit overwhelmed and anxious about making such a huge change, especially since it means giving up a job I truly love.

I’ve no doubt that writing full time will be both wonderful and daunting. I like to joke around that I already DO write full time. But that’s not quite true, because my focus is always torn between my day job and my writing. I’ll not only have more time on my hands, but I’ll have no more excuses about being too tired to write or not having enough brain cells left to concentrate at the end of the day. Ironically, I think having to squeeze writing into the few free hours I have in a week makes it easier to write. When you have a lot of “free” time, it’s easier to tell yourself you can put things off.

In the end, though, I’m really looking forward to the challenging of being a true, full time writer. And I’m looking forward to doing it while I’m exploring, because that exploration will no doubt inspire new ideas for stories along the way.

So happy end of summer, all ya’ll! Enjoy today at its fullest, and smile when you look forward to what the future brings. -Shira