Walking the Plank of Change

A few posts ago, i mentioned i’m ending my clinical practice of 20 years.  I told you i’d let you know how it was going.

Well, here it is.  My last day in clinic is October 22nd….  There’s the update, really.

I expected insomnia, gnashing of teeth, gnashing of finger- and toenails, scaly, weeping bald patches, you name it.  I expected a lot of fear.

True, i don’t know what i’ll do for a living next.  True, i haven’t been unemployed since i started babysitting 34 years ago.  True, this would have “shivered me timbers” (why a pirate idiom?  i have no idea) even two years ago.

Well holy anticlimax, pirates.  Maybe all of the gnashing happened before the decision.  I don’t know.  All i feel to date is an  sense of peace in my chest.  And freedom.  And a small thrill of adventure.

Funny.  It occurs to me that fear before the fact was my constant companion.  I’ll bet that background fear interferes with our vision in some ways.  I’ll bet it interferes with us seeing our own desires clearly.  (A bit like a black  eye patch, come to think of it!)

I’ve found a lovely, kind chiropractor with an open mind and good ears who is happy to welcome the folks from my clinic.  Thank you Greg.

And the folks at my clinic are as beautiful as ever, which will break my heart wide open at the end of October.  Nothing wrong with that.

I report this non-report in case you’ve been gnashing your own toenails about a decision.  It appears the gnashing ends with a step forward.

Granted, this may all change between now and October 22nd.  (I’ll bet not, but I’ll keep you posted.)

Thanks to every gorgeous heart in my clinic.  Thanks to the futures that call and call and call us forward.

And arrrhhh, thanks to you, you captain of the Caribbean,  for the conversation,

kristin

Join me on Facebook at Dr.Kristin Shepherd and on Twitter at kristinwonders. ( How many conversations can one pirate have?)

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8 Responses to Walking the Plank of Change

  1. Tina says:

    Kristin,
    I’m so excited for you!!!!
    You are an awesome inspiration…
    Best wishes to you… I can’t wait to share this journey with you through your blogs.
    Cheers to you!!!
    Tina

  2. Jessica says:

    Wow! Sounds so familiar as I, too, took a ‘leap of faith’ at the end of March when I left the clinic where I had worked as a small animal veterinarian for last 10+ years. It was time for a change, but that did not make it any easier to say goodbye to all my wonderful four-legged patients and their owners as well as my terrific co-workers! I’m inbetween jobs now and am looking to enter an allied field which will utilize my education and experience. I am blessed with a great husband who supports my desire to ‘shake things up a bit’ and see what else is out there for a middle aged veterinarian! 🙂 Good luck on your journey to fullfillment, as well!

  3. karen Waller says:

    Oh I wish for an intelligent, beautiful mind for a chiropractor over here in the UK!!! Your patients are very lucky…….. It sounds like a we are reversing our futures, I am embarking on a degree to becoming a fully qualified therapist…… scary!!!!
    I wish you lots of love and fantastic experiences, I love reading what you post, would love to meet you one day..

    love karen xx

  4. richard says:

    Fear is faceless unless we allow it to become ours….bless you :o)

  5. Gwen says:

    I’m following you on twitter; I am trying to find my own courage to do the very same thing! My spirit wants to move forward and in a new direction. Fear has a hold on me but it is slowly losing its grip! I’m here with you!

    Namaste
    Gwen Ritch, Yoga, Pilates teacher
    P.S. I also work in a law office which I want to leave!

  6. Karen L says:

    Wow…..I am not even there and feeling the impact all the way to BC! But I can hear the sound of the wind blowing and your sails hoisting on that great big pirate ship of “yurs”!!! I wonder if you are ‘entering’ or ‘leaving’ the cocoon!!!Would love to follow your wake!! xo

  7. K says:

    What a wonderful time in my life to read this. As a recent grad of university, I went out into life and realized the path I had chosen made me very unhappy. After a lay off, a firing that shouldn’t have happened and a lot of self-doubt, anger, and fear, I decided to go back to school in a completely different – and much more holistic – path. While I’m now waiting to hear if I got in or not, I may be scared of this new path, new debts, new challenges….for the first time in a long time, I am at peace, and excited for my future. Thank you for sharing this as someone who had a heck of a lot more invested in her career who chose to move onto a different path. I sit here with tears of joy and greatfulness that I found your words when I needed to read them most.

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