An Unemployed Asheville December Bucket List

As I’ve previously shared, I’m currently experiencing what a more annoying sect of the internet that obviously doesn’t have to worry about money or anxiety calls “funemployment.” 

The weird thing is that I don’t feel unemployed, and I think that’s largely because my days have been busy. I’m not complaining—I’ve been applying for a lot of jobs, getting a decent amount of interviews for a tough job market, pitching freelance pieces, and thus far, spending time reporting and writing two, all of which I feel lucky to do—but not since my first untethered week, I haven’t really taken advantage of the fact that I don’t have to wake up and be at work everyday. Don’t get me wrong. I think I’m approaching this smartly and strategically, but when this first happened, I told myself I was going to make an effort to live a little during the week, since these nonworking times are exceedingly rare (I know I’ve cited this state quite a bit in blogs over the years, but mainly because I find it so fascinating and depressing—we spend up a third of our lives working). 

I’m currently writing this post from a Holiday Inn lobby in Virginia en route back to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving. When I return to Asheville, it’ll be December, where I’ll have three weeks, before returning to Pennsylvania for Christmas and to close out the year.

While I’m certainly not going to sit around down in Asheville and do not job searching, pitching, or networking, I do want to take advantage of my unasked for freedom somewhat, especially since I’m assuming there’s not going to be tons of movement on the interview front, just considering that the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas feels like fake work on a good year, nevermind this short stint with Thanksgiving being late. 

So, I’m going to create a little public Unemployed Asheville December Bucketlist to hold myself accountable. While I believe what i said before about how I’m handling things smartly and strategically, I’m also guilty of really guilting myself into spending all my time attempting to be productive, which I know I’ll look back on and semi regret once i get a job, and which isn’t probably the most productive for my mental health (or phsyical health for that matter, I am starting to feel run down from the go-go-go-yness of it all). 

Here’s what I’ve got on it. Let’s see if it actually works: 

• Spend at Least One Afternoon a Week Reading Outside: Just today, before getting on the road, I cleaned up my apartment so I’d return to a clean place, which meant going out to my patio and making sure it was tidy. When I went out there, I realized it had been literal weeks since I’d been on my patio, which is criminal. Sure, the weather is getting colder and days are getting shorter, which probably plays into it, but even when I was working full-time, I’d have breakfast on the patio multiple days a week and take at least one afternoon reading break there. Now, all of a sudden, I can afford to sit outside on a beautiful afternoon for a few hours, and I’m not doing it. 
• Do a Sunrise Hike at Craggy Pinnacle: I attempted this one since getting laid off. Twice.  Once with my parents and once with my friend Maura, but we were thwarted by gale-force winds and clouds, respectively. Craggy Pinnacle is only a 40-minute drive and a quick 40-minute round-trip hike, so very, very doable. 
• Do a Daytime Session at the Drip Sauna: The Drip Sauna is the other Sauna House in Asheville (I’ve been twice, and both times felt guilty, like I was cheating on Sauna House), and why it’s appealing is that there’s an outdoor element to it (the cold plunges are outdoors and instead of relaxing between cycles on heated furniture in a tiled room, you relax around a fire overlooking the French Broad). With the weather slightly chillier, this feels like a super relaxing way to spend an hour one afternoon. 
• Knock Off One Waterfall Hike: The WNC waterfall hikes get so crowded on weekends, so this is the perfect time to see one during a more secluded time. I’d like to either knock off the big Triple Falls/Bridal Veil Falls Hike (which I’ve done in sections, but never together), the Panthertown Valley Loop, or Courthouse Falls. 
• Spend Some Time Writing Somewhere Picturesque on a Sunny Afternoon: Asheville has so many great spots to go do some writing or reading outdoors on a nice afternoon, and again, many of these spots get crowded on a weekend and would be lovely to visit on a weekday. I’ve got my eye on Turgua Brewing, Hi Five on the River, Zillicoah, or Zadies. 

I think I’m going to cap it at five. All in all, I only have three weeks, and want to set myself up for success.