Corporate Version of my Tent

A writing coach asked me what the corporate version of my tent was.

I have to think about that.

If the first fall camp plus having my own tent equalled a place to escape from the crowds and the togetherness, what was that equivalent in the corporate world?

I had my own office for the last two roles before I made the career change. I suppose the corporate version of my tent could have been my offices. On paper they seem like the logical equivalent. They were the places where I could close my door and listen to my own thoughts, to my heart pound in my ears, to the gremlin’s unending stream of garbage. However my offices were not the place to cry as both of them were fish bowls. Nor do I do a lot of crying in my tent, to be honest.

I’ll admit: sometimes the bathroom served as the spot for me to escape. Although if the ventilation wasn’t very good I didn’t want to be in there long if someone needed to do her business.

So nothing really served as a true physical escape while at work. There was no perfect one-to-one equivalent.

If I then think about the feeling my tent evokes in me, I would describe it using words like peace and tranquility. And I don’t know if there was one thing or one spot in any of my corporate experiences and work locations that provided the same feeling.

I have to look outside of work for experiences that provided peace, tranquility, escape while my head whirled around month-ends and budgets. Experiences like a good sweaty run, a particularly engaging travel writing class, or an all-day photography outing.

And if that’s my final answer (I’m not necessarily saying it is), isn’t that why I made the career change?