Two years ago I quit my job and took the month of November off. It was my first November in Tennessee and I had no idea what I was doing. Four months prior I packed up my house, dogs and bikes and moved to Tennessee from New Hampshire. My only mantra was “I can do hard things.” Moving to a new state and starting a new job were all very hard things.
But let’s talk about November in Tennessee. It is glorious. It was a great month to regroup and see the world.
November in Tennessee is beautiful and quiet; like the world is chilling out for a bit and getting ready for something big to happen. With all the time in the world, I hiked in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and got to know the trails around Gatlinburg. I walked everywhere around my apartment in Gatlinburg. I slowed down and tried to notice everything. I started back on my running training plan and started listening to podcasts.
I wrote blog posts and read books. Here are some of my blog posts from 2022:
I signed up for races.
I wrote about my favorite month.
I trained.
But the biggest thing I started doing in November, and I still do now, is walking shelter dogs at the Sevier County Humane Society. I remember not being able to apply online so I drove over to Gnatty Branch and walked in. They had me fill out the application and then said, Do you want to start today? I had nothing else to do so I said yes. And I started walking dogs the week before Thanksgiving. I instantly loved walking all the dogs and being committed to walking them on weekends and holidays ever since.
This is Candy. She is available for adoption at the Sevier County Humane Society.
The time off from working was much needed although I was a bit stressed out from not having a weekly paycheck. However, everything worked out in the end and I found a great job. As I celebrate two years in my new job heading into November, I’m so thankful for my job and my dogs and my family and my health and for the people at the humane society doing such great work.
November is a time to be thankful and take action; to make life great. That is what my mantra is this month, and to continue to do hard things.
