I’ve been radio silent since May here on the blog, but that’s because I started a new job! I began working for Georgia’s Historic Preservation Division as the Historic Resources Survey Coordinator on May 16, so this summer has been a season of change and transition for me (and Garner) as I adjust to a full-time office job. My job involves overseeing the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Fund grant-funded surveys done in Georgia. I also oversee the historic resources side of the Georgia Natural, Archaeological, and Historic Resources GIS for HPD. What I really like about my job is that I get to help communities document their local histories. Local history is a foundational building block in doing history; it’s difficult to make a broad historical argument without the local stories. Right now, I commute to Atlanta three days a week, so my schedule looks very different than it did teaching.
We’re also in August(!), so I wanted to share an update on my 2022 goals as a way to share some life updates.
Cultivate physical, emotional, and mental wellness.
I am still working on consistency in developing my exercise routine. I have managed to do a quick yoga routine each morning I commute to Atlanta as a way to wake up, but I need to find a way to compensate for all of the sitting I do while driving and at the office. I’ve set a new goal to get at least 4,000 steps before I leave the office the days I’m in Atlanta. I’m hopeful as the weather cools off (maybe) that I’ll feel more like getting walks in the evenings on those days.
I did notice after a few weeks on the job, I started having the physical symptoms of anxiety that I felt during the pandemic again (tight muscles, muscle spasms, eye twitches, some dizzy spells). I decided to seek out a therapist to work with through this season of transition. The last time I went through a major life change was during the height of the pandemic, and I went through 5 of those changes (marriage, moving, new work situation, graduation, buying a house) simultaneously, which put my mental health in a not great place. Therapy has been a major help in feeling more like myself again and managing the stress that comes with this transition.
I have been rigorous about saying no to things – my new schedule has forced that. Garner and I are being very mindful to not overload our schedules right now.
Routines have been a lifeline for us, too. I have a morning routine and an evening routine to prep for the commute.
Put down roots and grow our community.
We’ve been practicing hospitality by hosting our life group each week, but Garner and I want to deepen this practice by having people over just because.
We’re tentatively going to work with the youth at church once a month as a life group.
Choir rehearsal started back last week, so I’m looking forward to singing with the Rome First choir again this year.
I’m making plans to go to my college homecoming for the first time since 2016, and I’m looking forward to catching up with my friends and classmates in person!
Strengthen and enjoy or marriage.
Despite the crazier schedule, we’ve been consistent in having a date night each week.
We have a belated anniversary trip scheduled for Labor Day weekend to St. Marys and Cumberland Island, Georgia. Garner was in Buffalo, New York, for a math research workshop on our anniversary, and I had just started at HPD and had not built up enough vacation time.
Practice spiritual formation.
Our life group is currently revisiting a series from our church in Columbia, Personal Liturgy, which was a deep dive on developing spiritual practices in the midst of living in modern-day, American society.
I just finished the “30 Day to Resilience” program in the Pause meditation app (it took me more than 30 days to complete). Increasing my work and commute hours compelled me to change what my daily quiet time looks like, so instead of journaling and reading scripture, listening to the guided meditation with scripture was a good option. I hope to incorporate journaling back into my daily routine, but it’s on hold for now.
Garner and I are doing another month-long digital detox. We noticed we were slipping into some of our old habits of scrolling the news, so as we transition into another new school year for Garner, we thought it would be wise to give ourselves a reset.
Keep work in its proper place.
It has been a real adjustment to an in-office job with in-office hours (8 hours not including lunch). The perk of academia is that you can set your own hours to some extent, but the work is never truly done and you often need to bring work home. With a more traditional office job, once I leave the office or sign out for the day, I don’t have to think about work at all, which has been really nice. I do miss the flexibility I had in full-time academia, but I’m learning to adapt. I’ve been diligent about carving out time in my workday to deeply focus on making progress on my tasks for the day, whether that is reading and reviewing survey reports, reviewing historical resource data entry, or working on tasks related to the development of new database systems. I’ve had to remind myself that I don’t have to stay glued to my inbox or Microsoft Teams as long as I am focused on my tasks.
Steward our resources and finances well.
My new job with a decent paycheck and benefits has thankfully put us into a place where finances don’t have to be worrisome. I do begin my student loan payments next month, but we’re in a solid place to pay them off in a reasonable time.
We’ve begun tithing (set it up automatically) locally again, so we hope that money will bless our community.
We’ve been saving for a few house projects, so we’ll be doing some necessary upkeep and repairs this fall.
That’s about it for what’s been going on with us! It’s been a season of change but also one of returning to normalcy after the pandemic. I do hope to not go this long again without posting, so my plan is a monthly post right now. Happy almost end of summer!
Emily Martin Cochran 