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# When life and work are in flux
- URL: https://www.noteofdaring.com/when-life-and-work-are-in-flux/
- Published: 2026-03-06T17:44:39.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-09T15:42:15.000Z
- Description: And abandoning the gear of aspirational hobbies
- Author: Rachel Thompson
- Tags: Adventures

Recently, I’ve been trying to practice discernment around the objects, commitments, and stuff that fills my work and life. I want to let things end that I’ve outgrown to make space for new beginnings.

Letting go is challenging.

A transition is natural place to reset and realign. And I think we humans like the clarity of a clear transition. A neat before and after. The first day of school. The last day of a job. The rites of passage that mark life changes with distinct dates and large billboards.

But most transitions are so much more messy, dynamic, and harder to pinpoint.

**The Ripples from Moving**

I turned in the keys to the apartment I lived in for just under 5 years at the end of last month.

But unlike my move from DC to NC where one day I lived in DC and the next I lived in NC, this move has been a more abstract and dynamic transition. There was a slow shift of belongings and admin tasks over a few weeks plus one afternoon with a U-Haul and a week-and-a-half long illness thrown in the middle. And then a lingering pile of last things until the final clean up and key return.

Moving in with my partner this past month has prompted a level of sorting and subtracting my physical belongings as part of the integration from two households into one.

It’s also given me a chance to reconsider the supplies and gear for a few aspirational hobbies that I’ve been moving from place to place unused.

While this effort of editing my belongings is a work in progress it’s a fairly tangible one. The garage is currently full of items to sell or store or decide about later but if the extra couch gets sold, it’s clearly gone.

**The Nebulousness of a Business**

An even more nebulous transition for me right now is the one with my work.

I’m actively shifting my business and so have been questioning and sorting lots of things including my operating expenses, business model, core offerings, branding, website, communities, marketing strategies, and the various projects and commitments that - while fun - don’t actually move me where I want to go.

Which means I need to have a clear idea of where I want to go and what I want to do.

This transition requires more ongoing effort and direction on my part. And right now I’m in the messy middle of endings, beginnings, and transitions. I’m the boss and I’m not only steering the shift, but I’m making the decisions and dealing with the tradeoffs.

This is a much more intangible work-in-progress. It’s a lot and also I’m excited, slightly nervous, and slowly letting myself shed a few things I’ve outgrown.

But also, I wish it was an easier and quicker before and after.