It's been awhile since I've blogged properly, with the exception of the odd piece of news, such as the Nike Human race.

I've actually got exactly 1 more month before my last day at Aspective, where I will have worked for more than 2 years. Jeremy was quite sad and disappointed when I handed my notice, and I was also trying my best to hold back the tears.

Why did I decide to leave if it was such a great place to work? Well, I left for personal reasons, which I am not quite ready to share with the blogosphere, but I have no fault with the people, the team, the company or even the work. Anyone who has been following my blog will know how very much I enjoy what I do, and the company that I keep.

I'm not leaving for another company, although I've had no shortage of job offers from headhunters and recruitment agencies. I had a very defined career path, which was actually quite exciting. To walk away from that was quite scary, although I tell myself that I can always go back. Jeremy would probably take me back if there was a place for me when I was ready.

What am I going to do then, when I leave? I'll start with taking some time off just to relax, read a few books, really visit London and do the touristy thing, do some writing and explore my life and my options.

Granted, it is not a great time to do this, what with the credit crunch and the state of the world economy, but I have to do this. And maybe it is a good thing.

Well, I've got that book you see, and I have not had much encouraging responses from publishers. Saying that, the editor at Wiley was really nice and supportive, although he apologised for not being able to take on my proposal due to the fact that it did not fit his budget and publishing portfolio.

I am not discouraged, as I have an idea of what to do with it. I will probably publish it on the web for awhile before I think about self-publishing it. We'll see.

I want to read a lot more as well, non work related. I have started getting into business books not because I had to (such as during my mba period), but because I am genuinely interested.

I've missed writing things as how I did it when I first started. I think I was more interesting then, and then work got in the way. I missed having a life outside of work. I truly did enjoy my work, and the strength of relationships and connections I made really enriched my life. But I made it the only thing in my life by banishing all the 'time bandits'. I was no longer fun outside of work. I lived for my projects.

This break will be good for me in more ways than one. But Jeff will have to shoulder the single income situation for awhile, until I can generate income myself through some means. Thankfully I don't think he has my restlessness, and therefore his chosen path, while currently stressful, does not cause him too much angst.

Lehman Brothers employees had a job last week, but walked into their office, only to walk straight out again in shock, without a job. I'm guessing that most do not have a Plan B. Those interviewed in the news were in shock, disbelief - some were even hysterical.

I think that the advice to initiate change in your life, as opposed to having change forced upon you - is the best advice I've heard in a long time.

Jeff and I have always been an advocate of this, although Jeff's probably more risk averse than I am in terms of life choices. In return, he tempers my impulsive enthusiasm and provides grounding for my pie in the sky ideas.

But this is good - not in the way that lots of people losing their job and money good, but good in the sense that it shakes up people's faith in the status quo. Life shouldn't be just about existing, it should be about living, experiencing, touching, tasting, feeling, loving, seeing, growing, expanding and just knowing that even if you lived a thousand lives, you will never taste everything there is to experience.

The change that I have initiated in my life is both a bit scary and new. But isn't that what life's about?