The Marriage Sabbatical: The Journey that Brings You Home - Hardcover

Jarvis, Cheryl

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0738203394 ISBN 13: 9780738203393

Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2000

Synopsis

In this unique and inspiring book, Cheryl Jarvis asks a bold and to some an heretical question: why can't women today take time off, away from careers, children, and spouses, time dedicated to renewal and personal fulfillment without distraction? The Marriage Sabbatical weaves together the absorbing account of Jarvis's precious time away from home with the stories of the rewards and challenges felt by other women who also braved social pressures and public scrutiny to temporarily take leave of their daily routines. The liberating experiences herein are as varied as the individuals who lived them-from a few magical weeks of immersion language study to six months of adventure travel to two years of Peace Corps teaching. Eloquently describing how desire becomes a departure date; how women reconcile their decision with family and friends; and, finally, how they come home again, Jarvis shows how a marriage sabbatical need not be a trial separation or a midlife crisis. For the women we meet in this moving narrative, a sabbatical is a planned and finite period of time set aside in which to follow a dream, ultimately empowering and rejuvenating the individual. Passionately written, The Marriage Sabbatical showcases the joy and rebirth within reach for women everywhere.

About this title

Review

Any woman who yearns for a break from the demands of home and family to nurture her soul--but thinks she "couldn't possibly"--will discover a healthy new perspective on her not-so-radical desire in this enlightening book. The key is in the book's subtitle, The Journey That Brings You Home. With six simple words, Cheryl Jarvis illuminates her driving message: "A woman who takes time away to rejuvenate, to grow, is in the end bringing that back to the marriage and her family."

Drawing from interviews with 55 women who experienced sabbaticals of various lengths and purposes, Jarvis relates the inspiring stories of those who endured criticism (often from surprising sources like closest friends) to pursue their long-nurtured dreams. True to her journalistic background, Jarvis supports each key point with exhaustive research. Chapters with simple titles such as "Motivations," "Fears," and "Husbands" gracefully justify the need for women to undertake private journeys and are ripe with examples from history, mythology, fiction, nonfiction, religion--the works. (Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton all spent months at a time away from their husbands.) But the backbone of Jarvis's book is the personal tale she relates throughout its 300 pages. It's the story of a starry-eyed bride who--like many young women--nearly loses herself (quite willingly) in her mate's professional goals and recreational pastimes, cuts corners in her own successful writing career to raise kids (again, willingly), and then realizes that her family ties are strangling the life out of her. The result: a three-month stint at various writers' colonies, a fresh outlook on life, and a fantastic first book from an insightful--and much more confident--soul. --Liane Thomas

From the Inside Flap

Now in paperback, the uplifting, inspirational book that is an open invitation to married women everywhere to go off on their own, follow their dreams and desires, and come back to happier, healthier relationships.

From Harriet Beecher Stowe to Ann Morrow Lindbergh, women have been taking marriage sabbaticals for centuries to explore their sense of self. What is a marriage sabbatical? It is simply a time away from your daily routines to nurture your own creative, intellectual, or spiritual strengths.
In this personal yet practical book, Cheryl Jarvis chronicles the story of her own marriage sabbatical–a three-month stay at writers’ colonies–and the experiences of 55 other women who took time and space away. Through these reflective and empowering ventures, the author illuminates the issues involved: the logistics, the finances, the fears. Whether it’s hiking the Appalachian Trail, holing up in a cabin to paint, or taking a class in another city, a marriage sabbatical can bring new life and understanding to a longterm partnership.

About this edition

• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0738203394
• ISBN 13: 9780738203393
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288