As I've announced in a recent blog post - I'm taking a pause. I'm not going to have to dread Monday mornings for a while my friends. I'm taking a sabbatical!
After 5.5 years working in Talent Acquisition in Amazon Operations, I’ve decided that it’s time to press pause. From November 2022 to October 2023, I'll be taking 11-months off to slow things down and reconnect with my passions. I'm taking this time to heal and to be grateful for all I have.
I lost my dad in 2017 - a huge loss that still hasn't healed. My role model. The person that gave me direction and purpose. My dad was larger than life. He lit up every room he entered. He was charismatic, loyal, loving, and so generous. He was unapologetically himself. A loss this insurmountable can't simply be put under the rug.
So I'm pressing pause. There wasn't a specific moment where I knew I needed to stop. But I started to tune in with myself and this little voice gradually became stronger and stronger. Slow down. You don't need to do everything. You have nothing to prove. Take time for you.
And that's what I'm going to do. Take time. Allow myself to process. Allow myself to feel. Enjoy moment to moment. I'm going to allow myself to be sad, to embrace the boredom and enjoy the spontaneity of life. I want to learn about the art of slowing down.
So if you've read this far, you may be wondering what I'll be doing for 11 months? I recently purchased a home in France and will be renovating with my partner. This will take up a big chunk of my time!
But my big BIG adventure? I'm absolutely terrified, but also totally excited.
Are you ready for the big reveal?
I'm going to hike the Pacific Crest Trail – a 2,650 mile (4,269 km) thru-hike beginning in Mexico and finishing in my homeland Canada in March 2023 🥾⛰️
Eeeeek!!!
I'll be crossing 3 states in the US - California, Oregon, and Washington - with the goal of arriving in Manning Park, Canada.
I've always imagined embarking on a thru-hike. Leaving everything behind, grabbing my shoes and backpack and heading into the nature. I just never imagined that I would actually go through with it!
I guess you could say that bold is my middle name - Chloe, the bold one!
I'll be walking each day for approximately 5-6 months; sleeping outside with my tent and sleep system.
I'll be relying on the bare essentials. Passing through small mountain towns to resupply and maybe a clean shower once in a while!
I want to reconnect with what's most important. I want quiet out the noise. I want to shed all expectations of what success and happiness should look like.
This is going to be the adventure of a lifetime. And I'm going to need your support! I'll need all the encouragement, love, and support I can get! Please send me love and virtual hugs.
But hey, it's not all rainbows and unicorns.
This experience is going to be hard. It's going to challenge me in ways I've never been challenged before. I'm going to be cold. I'm going to be hot. I'm going to be hungry, thirsty, tired, sore. You name it.
But, it's going to make me feel more alive than ever before. It's going to help me grow and evolve. It's going to remind me of what's most important.
I've recently learned a saying: "the trail provides." I'm hoping the PCT thru-hike will provide the answers that I'm looking for.
I'm doing this thru-hike to find clarity, to heal, and to live larger than life - just like my dad 💚
I'll be creating YouTube videos, IG stories and blog posts during my thru-hike.
Join me on this adventure of a lifetime!
What do you think about this adventure? I'd love to read your comments below!
Chloe Jane teaches a variety of restorative yoga styles: yin, restorative yoga and yoga nidra. She is a Sound Healing Practitioner and works with the energies of her Tibetan Singing Bowls.
She is South of France based (Ardeche) and you can find her on instagram @chloejanejacobs.
Follow her sabbatical adventures and join her blog community!