This post was 3,000 words long. They all felt overly complicated and heavy and weird. I clicked delete. Then I just typed what we’re really feeling, complete with things we’ve never said out loud and even a few things we’ve never fully admitted to ourselves before.
The truth is that we love you guys. Like for real. Even for the tough love. We know you say it because you care (or hopefully you did at some point), and we want you to know we care right back. We want to do a good job. We want to do this with joy and excitement. We want to inspire you. We know this is an incredible way to have made a living and we are full of gratitude for the experience to have shared the last seven years of our lives with you guys online.
We would NEVER be here without you, and not a day goes by that we don’t know that. It’s why we asked for your feedback last week and read every last comment. We appreciate the honesty and the passion you guys have on the topic of making this blog great. And we agree with a lot of what was being said. We have been feeling off for a while – like we have lost our rhythm and we’re somehow missing the mark for ourselves and for you guys. We too miss the good old days when we did this for the love and were full of such obvious joy and spontaneity. This felt like a place we all hung out and it just doesn’t have that vibe anymore.
Over the years many amazing opportunities popped up for us. Things we never dreamed of doing in a million years, and things we’re incredibly grateful to have had the chance to experience. A book deal, curating paint picks with Benjamin Moore, a line sold at Target, a showhouse, etc. But in hindsight those things also made this feel a lot more like a business than a personal blog to many of you, and to us as well. We have actually ramped those down behind the scenes in an attempt to get back to our roots (we no longer do the BM color collection, the second book is mostly written, our products at Target have completed their run, and we finished the showhouse) but we never really made a big announcement about that – so it’s completely understandable that some of you might think we’ve moved on to those greener pastures and left the blog in the dust, so to speak. The reality is that our site propels the success of any outside project like a product or book, so we could never turn our backs on the blog and expect those items to continue to sell as well.
Not only have we felt this shift from “John and Sherry” to “Young House Love: The Brand”, but the blogosphere as a whole has become increasingly sponsored/corporate lately. We can see from the outside prospective as a reader, or even a fellow blogger, that it’s hard to read a blog post without suspecting some ulterior motive or money-making system behind it. Last week a few of you mentioned that we might need to keep giveaways around because they pay us well, which surprised us since they’re never something we accept payment for (we like to pass free things along to you as a thank you for reading).
Along with the whole business/brand thing that’s going on, and the side gigs that felt like they muddied the water for some of you, there are certainly other things we wish we had handled differently in hindsight. Just to name a few, there’s: being too defensive, over-explaining, letting things get in our heads and change our lighthearted approach, and the internal struggle between being transparent and oversharing personal details like a vacant new house without an alarm system (looking back we wish we’d handled our third house announcement differently). We know many of you felt insulted that we didn’t share more freely about that house, and we truly apologize.
Anyway, back to that whole “we’re sexy stumbling and you know it” thing. It’s endlessly frustrating to do a job that you love poorly, especially when it’s a blog baby that you’ve birthed yourself and nurtured for seven years. And especially when it’s such an amazing job that we once felt so inspired and joyful to wake up and do each day. What’s wrong with us? We know this is a dream job. We acknowledge it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. We know most people who have built something like this would be more inspired than ever. It’s not that we lost the gratitude, I think it’s that we feel like we’ve fallen out of our groove. We feel like we’re letting you guys down repeatedly. It got to the point that every time we pressed “publish” we braced ourselves.
So in an attempt to stop stumbling around and feeling like we just can’t get it back, we’re taking a break. We don’t know exactly how long we’ll be stepping away, but our guess would be at least a month. We will certainly be exploring other options for supporting our family (something we mentioned we were considering back in April). We had that fiery blog-spark back when we had day jobs and did this as a hobby, so we think it could be a good change. We’ll also be taking a break on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, but the blog will stay public so you guys can access the archives whenever you’d like.
Our internal struggle and the state of this blog is entirely of our making, and we completely own that. Please don’t get mad at anyone for being honest with their feedback last week or accuse them of sending us packing. We have been struggling with that “something is off” feeling for a while now, and after way too much denial and “we’ll turn it around” pep talks, we finally asked for your feedback because we truly wanted to hear what you were thinking. It was cathartic and helpful for us. It has allowed us to very clearly see that if we have any respect for this blog and our love of it, and for you guys and what you’d like to see, we need to take a break if we ever want any hope of getting back to that fun/real/spontaneous place it used to be when this was something we did for the love instead of the high stakes game of supporting a family.
In summary: we love you, we thank you, and we hope you understand.
Rebecca says
Ummm, can you just come back now and we can pretend like those mean, bored people (who have nothing better to do than be critical) don’t exist. I miss you. Mean it.
Tracy says
Couldn’t have said it better myself!
LN says
Yes, Rebecca. Ditto your comment.
Bea says
Wow, a whole page in the Washington Post Local Living pabout you taking a break…….
Joanna says
Dear Sherry and John, I miss you guys so so much. You cannot imagine. I enter this site almost every single day to see if you guys are back. But that has not been the case. I will not say any more than what others have already said: I love you guys and understand you wanting to take a break now that you have two kids, but truly do from the bottom of my heart miss you lots! I have tried consoling myself checking out other blogs out there but none come close to what you guys offered: showcasing your life, family, accomplishments and struggles in the most beautiful format possible. Again, I really really reaaalllyyy miss you guys…but then again, take as long as you want to…I understand completely…just wish that someday you guys continue with this journey (blogging) and let us join you in it!
Mary says
I have an idea with the hopes of continuing to blow up the feedback, in a great way( as if nearly 5000 comments aren’t enough!) How about we start listing the the things we’ve accomplished because of John and Sherry? Did you gain confidence when you watched them tackle a project? I did, many times over! Right now I’m outside sanding cane-backed dining chairs I got for $8 each ( crazy price, they are quality, just in need of TCL) to take them from a honey tone to white. Of course I reviewed their painting furniture tutorial. I have ORB-ed outdoor furniture and brought it to a new life, I painted outdoor fiberglass pots and transformed my entryway. I was inspired creatively last summer by J and S and wallpapered the backs of Target bookcases and transformed them to look much more expensive. This is just a start! Like others I check in daily, just to give a virtual hi to them. I recently quit a very stressful job so I get it, but I want them to see lists of the impact they have made. So YHL readers, what did you accomplish because of John and Sherry? I will look forward to reading:-)
Allison says
What an excellent idea, Mary! One project that stands out for me is I used their tutorial on painting their front door to paint my front and back doors. I only got one full door complete and just the outside of the back door, so I will be going back in the archives when I’m ready to paint the inside. Another tutorial of theirs that I used was for redoing my kitchen cabinets by sanding and painting and everything in between. Those are two projects they surely helped on. And I’m pretty sure my husband was happy that I read their blog because our house is looking better every day! There are MANY more in my mind that I have yet to create, but they are wonderful teachers and so inspirational. If anything, they’ve helped build the confidence to know that my husband and I CAN tackle projects throughout our house without having to hire a contractor. Best wishes to John and Sherry!
Lydia K says
Wonderful idea, Mary! Back in July I (mostly myself!) sanded down and painted my kitchen cabinets. I followed John & Sherry’s tutorial from house #2 to the letter and it turned out so incredibly professional looking. People do not believe I did it myself. The project was fairly inexpensive (which I knew I could afford because of YHL’s excellent and realistic cost breakdowns) and it took roughly the same amount of time to do (again, thanks for your realistic day by day timelines). John and Sherry, you’ve empowered me to make bolder decisions in my home decor style – those kitchen cabinets are a deep teal blue. I used another tutorial to help me paint my front door and shutters… purple. You’ve helped me “sell” design ideas to my engineer husband, who now completely trusts me when I get a wild look in my eye at Home Goods. You guys are incredibly inspiring and we all just miss you so much.
Please come back <3
Amie says
Oooh!!! I love this! Too many to count – painting doors, painting hardware, molding (all types, even the wainscotting), changing out light fixtures (and we throw the main power breaker off, too!), tiling our shower surround, putting down flooring, diying some art. So so many. But mostly, it’s the people aspect I’m missing here. I hope our Petersik’s are having a blast, relaxing, rejuvenating, and soaking in all the love. <3
Lesley says
So many projects/ideas/inspiration:
1. We washed our deck with the Olympic product on their say so – looked beautiful after 9 years of being ignored.
2. Painted a door (while still hanging) so the project seemed a bit less overwhelming – worked like a charm.
3. Installed new flooring with the sticky underlay product they used – so easy and fast.
4. Ordered furniture for a STEAL on Joss & Main – two leather couches for our new living room look gorgeous!
5. Fabric medium added to some paint we had already used in our daughter’s room to paint a coordinating pillow – love how custom it looks.
6. Bought my first can of ORB spray paint – now nothing is safe!!!
kayla says
Such a good idea Mary! I’m with you, I like to check into their site frequently to reference a project or just look back on something I liked for inspiration. (Also hoping the frequent traffic continues to help them make a living!) J&S have helped us all become much more confident DIY-ers. As a result I have refinished a couple of pieces of furniture for my house, started thrifting more, learned the joys and ease of spray paint, done more crafts, and my husband and I bought our own fixer-ranch and spent months just doing basic updates to bring it from the 70’s smoker palace to our own contemporary style. Love J&S and miss them, Burger, Clara and Teddy. Hope they enjoy their break and rejoin the blogosphere SOON!! (Anyone else counting down the DAYS until we hit the month mark and maybe hear from them!?)
RLR says
I – with the help of my 8-year-old! – repainted my front door last weekend. I went bright! Well, it had been black, so just about anything is brighter! Used your tutorial to learn how to prep and paint, but also had the confidence to adjust when something didn’t work out quite right. Thank you – for the tutorial and the confidence! And now, I’m considering g a BOLD move in the kitchen!
Elizabeth says
Great idea! I’ve done numerous projects based on or inspired by the projects John and Sherry have posted. I used their wedding posts back when we were planning on our budget wedding, and since we’ve just purchased our first home, and the archives as well as recent posts about drywalling, etc. have been PERFECT for our needs. Moreover, my husband and I don’t even have kids yet but (call me crazy) I’ve already tucked away their parenting posts about cloth diapering and more as future reference.
I understand the break. Family comes first. But thank you for what you’ve done–it’s been a huge resource and inspiration for me. I do truly hope it continues. :)
Mary says
It’s inspiring to read the specific projects we all took on because we saw real people give it a try! In the absence of John and Sherry, it’s like 5000 of their closest friends are “carrying on” while we wait!
I want to see Kayla’ s 70’s smoker palace before and after! Ha!
I laughed at the thought of Lydia K’ s sceptical husband finally coming around.
LESLIE’s number 6: once you ORB once … (I’m channeling Sherry, she would say it’s the gateway drug of spray paint!)
All of the lists made me smile – we’re all swaying back and forth, holding up our lighters, begging for an encore!
Mary says
OK, I’m no Weird Al Yankovic, but I started a parody song sung to the tune of Kelly Clarkson’s “Because of You.” Ha!
Because of you
I always prime with oil base before I paint
Because of you
I learned to use low VOC so I don’t faint
Because of you
My ORB-ed hardware saved me so much dough
Because of you
I’m NOT afraid
Good thing my DIY skills are better than this! And yes, Kayla I am counting down the days until they come back.
Lydia K says
Mary – I’m loving your Weird Al – esque parody because you and I both know that Sherry got up and sang that into a hairbrush as soon as she read it. AMIRITE, SHERRY? ;)
Martha says
I don’t usually comment….think I’ve only done it once before….but, just wanted you to know…that I miss your updates on your family….and projects. Even though your projects made me feel inadequate, at times….ya’ll PLAN stuff out so much more than my husband and I do!! but, I did enjoy seeing the outcomes. Hope you are feeling refreshed and ready to come back!!! :)
Delores says
Missing y’all.
Melanie says
I totally autotyped younghouselove.com in today as I was taking a work break before I remembered you guys were probably still on hiatus:( I miss you guys!
Alice says
I did that too!!! Dying without my YHL fix :( x
Jane B. says
Checking regularly…
tracyvhaynes says
Best wishes to you guys! I totally understand the need for a break. I’ve visited your blog for several years now and it’s been great to watch it evolve and see you find success in so many ways. What an amazing journey you’ve been on. Good luck in the next phase, whether it’s coming back to this blog or something else entirely!
Jenna says
I think I’ve already commented on this post, but I just want to say again that I miss you guys so much! I’m in the market for a light diffuser and remembered that you bought John one for Christmas, so after Googling “light diffuser young house love”, I added that same one to my Christmas wish list. That’s just one example of the way you touch peoples’ lives! I mean, that’s just a little thing, but I don’t know how many times I’ve said “John and Sherry did this” or “Today on YHL, I read that…” to my husband. Your names are common in our household and even though he’s never read your blog (that I know of), he knows exactly who you are. Please come back to us in whatever capacity you’re capable of! We’re waiting with bated breath…
Charisma says
I second this. My husband knows who you are and went to Portland with me so that I could meet you (pre books). I come back here nearly daily just to keep the website hits up until you comeback. You guys are the best there is and we are here to support you until you return.
Jessica Kiehn says
Good for you guys. Enjoy! The pressure is off:)
Tiffany E. says
I’ve been away from your blog for a while, since reading YHL is my afternoon treat at work, and I’ve been on maternity leave, and I was surprised by this post. You deserve the break! I took off ten weeks with my little biscuit and you didn’t miss a beat when either of your kids were born! Regroup and enjoy! I do love reading about your projects and adventures (and thanks for the kiddo pics–it’s crazy to think that my girl will grow as fast as your kids!) but I realize that you need some time to decide what’s best for your family. I wish you nothing but the best!
Marti says
There are so many aspects of the blog that I miss but of course it is certainly your decision. Please understand that is totally understandable for a blog to mature to the point where there can’t be such intensity every day. I follow other blogs that have slowed down when writing a book or tackling another project and then ramped back up as bloggable material collected. It’s not a choice between 24/7 blog or no blog. As much as I love everything about this blog I would understand if you either take a hiatus or cut down the frequency of blog posts. I tend to lose interest if bloggers don’t post something new each week–even if just a Twitter link to something interesting. I think once a month would be a minimum to stay alive. On the other hand I liked all your previous posts just fine and didn’t judge any of them as inferior but if it was getting to be not fun…Schwa
Oh, and just in case you were looking for a new/old project to change the direction of the blog–MOOD BOARDS. Can’t get enough of them!
Sarah C. says
Marti – I completely agree. I love me some Mood Boards. We want more we want more!! :)
stacy says
miss you all and hope you are enjoying your break!! P.S. Please come back soon, my mornings aren’t the same without your blog!
Kristi says
I hope you’re enjoying your time away from the blog, but I really miss you guys! I was a faithful follower for several years, and checking YHL was a big part of my morning routine, so it’s been weird without you. I hope you come back soon!
Errolyn Hatch says
Miss you!
Sophie says
One month needs to come sooner. The next 7 days need to go in fastforward.
Fanney Th says
Miss you a lot :/
Angie says
Just checking in to see if you’re back yet. I do hope this break has been good for you, and that you’ll be back to us.
Jessica says
I miss you and Clara and Teddy like you were my own little side family!!!!!! I hope to see an update, even a shot of the kiddos on instagram! Sounds psycho stalkerish but I assure you I am not, lol. I have a little guy a few months older than Teddy and they change so quickly! I hope you’re doing well and enjoying the heck out of your break. xoxo
Kristin says
Enjoy your break. I hope you come back, I really enjoy reading your blog and think you guys are great. I think you do a great job and wish you the best :) xoxo from a reader in Canada!
Gretchen says
I really miss you guys. Im so grateful for your post on spray painting brass door hardware. You saved us hundreds vs. ordering new hardware from Anderson! I will always love what you have contribute, your blog, book, all of it! But please do come back…. :)
Ellen says
Miss you. Love you. That is all.
julianna says
Hi, John and Sherry! Hope you’re enjoying your hiatus. Not sure if you’re checking comments during your break, but I just wanted to say I’m really looking forward to hearing you speak at the Kings Park Library this Saturday!
MB says
I really, really miss all of you! I know you will do what is best for your family but we need you, we need your humor and baby sweetness and DIY. We need your passion for the pretty and the practical to motivate us and give us someone to share the the joy and frustrations of everything life throws at us! I hope your break is everything you needed, but isn’t it time to come back? Don’t you miss us? WE MISS YOU,
Amy P says
I’ve been checking, checking, checking to see if you all are “back”- Like others have said, I hope you have enjoyed a break, recharged your batteries and are ready to come back online soon :) I also hope you’ve realized that the largest majority of your readers were perfectly fine with how things were rolling along (I think one person put it as “can’t we just forget this ever happened?!”). You’re working on a book, had a huge project going on & probably many side projects and still adjusting to life with another baby! It’s a lot of stress, of course things are going to feel off as you find your new normal! I guess I just wanted to say that you have a true gift of connecting with people and of sharing all of your knowledge- you’re truly missed by people all across the globe. I hope you all are well and to “see” you soon!
Kate Hodapp says
Happy blogiversary, and aquatober! And I miss you.
megan says
While I completely understand, please imagine Rose saying to Jack in the last moments of Titanic, “Come back, please come back!”
Chelsea says
I miss you guys too! Come back soon if you can. I depend on your blog to get me through my night shift work. hehe. Also…my life has change ever since I saw your video of “cutting in” a ways back. So, Thanks!
Elv says
I really miss you guys! But you’ve deserved this break! Hopefully you’re all doing alright? Teddy must have grown a lot by now, and I miss the Clara conversations and little Burger! But we all have something to look forward too, your new book! You guys have inspired me to design my own home on a fun and budget friendly way and be proud of it, thank you for that!! Don’t let al the nay sayers pull you down, be yourselves like, we love you for that! Xoxo
kellie says
miss you guys!!!!
Anastasia says
100% understand why you felt the need for a break but just popped over to say ‘missin’ you!’
My husband and I are getting ready to start the house hunting process soon and I am so glad I have all of your helpful posts to look back on for whenever we have a house to call our home
Rebecca says
I watch 40 blogs in my Feedly. I say watch – because I don’t read them every time they post – some times stuff sits for awhile – and none of them blog every day – some less than once a week. So I don’t have a ton of unread posts – but still there are 357 various posts I have not yet read. Your blog posts however, I lapped up everyday like a starving kitten.
And well this morning all I have to say is that if Feedly were a closet and blogs were clothes – I am looking in there today and I have nothing to wear. Nothing. (See my pouty face?)
I miss your projects and humor, and humanness. Please come back soon.
Ashley says
Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve looked on the site! I had to go back to see what all the fuss was about! I just wanted to put in my two cents in case you saw it and needed it: Do you. Do what you need (or hell, even want!) to do. And f*&% everyone else’s opinion.
Selfishly, I would love for y’all to come back, but I also understand if it just isn’t in the cards. Much <3
:-)
Anessa says
Come back, come back….. I miss you! I know you said a month or more but I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas. Please come back! I really hope you haven’t left for good. I get if you want to change things up a bit or slow things down a bit but please do come back. My mornings just aren’t the same without you. I just recently bought a house and get so much inspiration from you. Plus I feel like you are family and I will miss you, your kiddos and Burger too! Hope to see you soon :) Yes I know I probably sound like creeper but I really do miss you .
Danielle says
I miss you!!!!!!
I am eagerly awaiting the 1 month mark, but bracing myself for the possibility that you will not be ready to come back. So much of my house has been inspired by you two. I hope, if nothing else, this break and all of the resulting comments, have been a reminder of just how much of an impact you have made on so many people. Thanks for you being you! Now hurry back before we all experience YHL withdrawal for too much longer :)
Heather says
Has it been a month yet? Miss you!
Jillian says
John and Sherry,
I can’t even begin to tell you how helpful your blog and book have been to my husband and I. We recently purchased a condo back in June and let’s just say it needed a whole lot of TLC and we were completely clueless. Without you two I don’t think we would have ever had the knowledge or confidence to tackle half of the projects we have in the last few months. You taught us how to paint, refurbish furniture, fix our dingy grout, and overall just think outside the box when decorating on a budget. These are really just a few of the many things you did for us and we are forever grateful!
I just want you to know you two are fabulous and greatly missed! I look forward to your return after a well deserved break!!
All the best,
Jill and Ryan
Melly says
Sigh . . . please come back.
Marisa says
My husband and I tiled the bathroom floor in our first house thanks to the tutorial from YHL. I also ORBed my front hall chandelier and hung the curtains high and wide. In our 2nd (current) house, so many things inspired by YHL, some are: tiled bathroom floor AND shower, changed kitchen and bath faucets, faux wood blinds, cloth diapers, cutting in with angled brush (painted 11 rooms!), changed light fixures, weekly spaghetti dinner, photo project of our baby, annual photo yearbook.
John and Sherry, you have given me so much. Truly I appreciate your “friendship” and support (even if it was one-sided). I am so grateful to have found this blog and met both of you. Thank you for the inspiration and courage that you have given me.
Sonia Singhal says
Not back yet ? sigh !
Jamie Smith says
Dear John and Sherry,
I hope you are having a wonderful and relaxing break. I hope Burger, Clara, and Teddy are doing well. I have been missing you sorely! :) I hope you will be back to us soon. But if not, best wishes on your new journey.
Sincerely,
your devoted reader
Jamie Smith
Jen says
Hey, I miss you guys! I hope you’re having a great vacation/sabbatical/whatever. You totally deserve it and you don’t owe us (your readers) anything. But I miss you anyway.
Marlayna says
I recently re-read your 14 month breast-feeding post and began wondering how your little Teddy-bear’s breast-feeding/sleeping habits are treating you. If it’s anything like Miss Clara’s that’s quite a bit to handle! I’m wishing for you both a smooth and supported transition adjusting to having not just a little 4 year old energetic bouncing bean but recovering from a 2nd surgical delivery, and being up all night/day breast-feeding every two hours. I am glad you guys were strong enough to push pause on the blog. Families need an adjustment period to find a new rhythm and energy for a different pace/pattern of life, ie. maternity/paternity leave. Well, like I said, I hope that’s all going really well! And if at some point it gets running so smoothly that you have extra time to blog again and feel inspired, it will be fun to hear what tidbits you have to share on family life, creativity, & DIY in this new phase of your life.
Kristen says
I read this when it first came out, but this is what I would have commented then too. I have been a long time fan (as in right after move from the first house), but have never commented. I even have a gallery wall and several other DIY in my house over the years inspired by your creativity. After reading Emily A. Clark post about the blogging world I thought I would just send you a virtual hug and thank you! I am not a blogger but I love people who do blog. They are courageous and brave and real. When I had my babies I took 12 weeks off after each one before going back to my part-time job. That is the law for companies to give their employees based on FMLA (Family Maternity Leave Act). I realize you are self employed, but everyone needs vacations and breaks from their jobs. Enjoy your time off and those cute kids!
Hugs,
Kristen
krystle says
Truly miss you guys… I still check everyday even though a month hasn’t passed. It just feels like it has without some house love in my life. Enjoy your break and I hope all is well in your lives. Eagerly awaiting your [email protected] update.
Elizabeth H says
Boo. I still miss you. Come back soon!
Jenn says
Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease come back soon! I’m in total YHL withdrawal!!! I realized that my favorite time of year (blogiversary) has come and gone which makes me super sad but also super happy that you are taking a much needed break from your crazy lives and schedules! I truly hope that you both return rejuvenated and with a new found love for the blog….for the record I saw nothing wrong with the way you were and really think that people forget that you two are actual humans behind the blog posts. I don’t blame you at all for not sharing the news about your third house until you were ready. We as readers are entitled to know what you choose to share when you choose to share it and that’s it. You both have a right to your privacy and to make decisions that are best for your family. We as readers pay nothing to read the blog and gain so much from the hard work you both put in. As hard as I am sure it is; just remember that if you didnt have a huge following of readers that love you, YHL wouldn’t be as successful and awesome as it is. You are clearly doing a lot right and maybe a little wrong, but if you try to be perfect you will make yourselves miserable. Own who you are and what you want to do with YOUR business….you have lots of readers who will love anything you do!
Ashley says
Good for you guys, everyone needs a break! The transition from one to two kids is hard enough without a demanding blog baby too! Sherry, you write beautifully and we all wish we had hubbies as handy as John, and of course you both have an amazing and inspiring sense of design…ohhhh I really hope you will be back and we will see more of your wonderful work!
tfeuerborn4 says
Hi Guys, I have been following your blog on and off ever since you started it in your first house and I have always loved reading along. I have not been a religious reader every single time a post came through, so I completely missed the while debacle that went on in early September (was that when someone told you exactly how they felt??!!).
Anyway, I am not going to comment on how other people feel about your blog, but I want to let you know, that I have always enjoyed reading your blog and I think it is great that you have been able to take it this far. What I do know for sure is that your comment about “feeling like something is off”, is something that many of us can relate to. Anyone who cares about their career field, family, loved ones and what they do on a daily basis will go through this at some point in any career or their lives. That feeling of not “feeling like it’s enough, good enough, like we want it to be” etc, it is so familiar. At least for me.
The tough part is to actually acknowledging that something is wrong and taking a step back to try and regain that lost focus. For many of us it’s not financially possible to just quit our jobs, if that is where the problem lies, but we can do other things to give ourselves a “wake-up call”. And I think you should be commended for your decision to take a break.
I hope you will find the fire again and regain your voice. I don’t think there is a need to to apologize for anything here. After all, this is not a subscription people pay for :)
Best of luck to you both. I sure hope to see you back here some time.