From today I don’t own anything. From today I don’t owe anything to anybody.

The new owners of my house got the keys today. Within a few weeks everything will be settled. I can then relax and continue my planning for what’s next. Looking back at the last 9 months so much has happened. My life has completely changed. Everything sort of fitted into a turnaround, a turnaround for me – a new beginning.

Nine months ago, I was working more than full time as a quality manager in a large IT company with the responsibility for compliance and ISO certification within Northern Europe. A well payed job with lots of challenges and changes, just as I like it – but I wasn’t happy anymore.

At the same time, I was considering selling my house and downsizing. My daughter moved away from home 2 years ago, so I didn’t need the space anymore. I talked to the realtor and we decided to put the house on the market. At the same time my daughter and her boyfriend decided to move to London, and I was able to sublet their small apartment down town Copenhagen.

Just before the summer holidays I was told my job would be moved to Finland. Since we were not able to find another role for me in the company in Denmark I was out of a job from the 1^st of September. Due to my many years in the company I would get paid until the 1^st of February.

All of this put together gave me the chance to look at my life all over again. I have worked and studied all my life. I got my first job at 13 delivering newspapers – I’ve been a nanny, a maid, a cleaner, working at a supermarket, at a newspaper, as a student’s counsellor and so on – supporting my self since I was 18 going through college and university. Also doing volunteer work most of the time since then. I have always worked, studied or done both at the same time.

I never had a gap year. Now is the time for my gap year – now I have the time, my daughter are not planning any grandchildren in the near future and my parents are in good health, this is my window of opportunity.

I have decided that I want to travel around the world and see where it leads me.

Follow my journey on this blog