Tita’s Sabbatical
On the year I would commemorate my 8th anniversary at GDC, the partners offered those of us who have been here for at least 5 years, a month-long paid sabbatical. The Partners said, “It’s important to us that our employees take a break to relax, refocus and reenergize.” My brain said, “Breathe Tita… breathe.
Everyone-and-their-mothers was aware of how uneasy I felt about going on my sabbatical in March. If it wasn’t for the partners rooting me on, I probably would’ve faked a panic attack to postpone it. (Or maybe it wouldn’t have been fake .) Working in the creative world, you feel there’s never a good time to get away, to stop your brain from ticking, from craving the adrenaline. I was wrong.
I began my month-long journey with a mission: use this time to nurture my relationships with my family and my friends. After these crazy couple of years, I needed to recharge my soul and make up for lost time.
My journey began by visiting my family in Querétaro, Mexico who I hadn’t seen in 3 years. I ate a lot, had an amazing time catching up, laughed my butt off (as usual) and enjoyed lots and lots of hugs.
Once I returned from getting some much needed, “abrazos Padilla”, I traveled to visit my life-long friends. I hadn’t seen a couple of them in more than a decade. The trip made me realize how important it is to make time to meet up with your favorite people. We tend to get so hung up on life that we forget how much more gratifying it is when you nurture those bonds you created with those who left a footprint in your heart.
After my sabbatical, I went from “no freaking way!” to “I can’t wait until next time!” This control freak (yours truly) learned for the first time in 20+ years of agency life that it is possible to completely let go and that everything will actually be okay.
On that note, I want to thank GDC for taking care of us with this extraordinary opportunity and call on all my GDC peeps who are getting ready to go on their month-long sabbatical to not hesitate in welcoming it with open arms. Know that you will be missed, and that when you come back, you’ll be ready to jump right in with an entirely new mindset. Consider it a necessary reboot that does your body, and your mind, good.