The Next Chapter Starts Now

 I had a post started, well titled with no content, that I planned on writing & publishing 2 weeks ago when I got back to Minnesota.  The title was "Who Says You Can't Go Home" but then I never wrote it.  Then, I just enjoyed being home for a week.  Then, I went back to Texas with my mom to get the remainder of my stuff.  Then, I fell into a funk.  Well, actually the funk started as I was back in Houston.  

I didn't plan on writing today.  Yesterday I decided I needed to work myself out of this funk so I created a to do list.  One of those things was catch up on blogs (after I post this I'm off to read!)  One of the things was to create a blog plan.  However, start journaling & write a post for today were not on that list.  But then I sat there watching the sun come up & starting a journal seemed like a good idea.  And then publishing what I wrote in the journal seemed like a good place to start in my blog plan.  

I thought about titling this post "Monday Morning Coffee" because it is Monday after all & that's what every Monday post since January 7, 2019 has been titled.  But it didn't seem right.  This post isn't just a recap of my weekend.  It is straight up right out of my journal.  Once again, I won't make promises to post daily, weekly, or even monthly.  It's been nearly 6 weeks since I last posted.  That wasn't intentional but I refuse to force anything anymore.

That was a very long winded intro to what I came here to post:

I set lots of goals.  I start lots of goals.  I'm not always the best at finishing said goals.  So far 2021 has had some major life changes though: leaving Danny.  Living alone for the first time in 1.5 years.  Resigning from my job w/o a new one lined up.  Leaving Texas.  Moving back in with my parents.  Deciding to stop applying for full time teaching jobs.  These changes are good for me.  I know they are & there were decisions I made all on my own so I could can become the best version of myself can possibly be.  So I can find the good parts of myself I lost somewhere over the past couple of years.  So I can discover new parts of myself that will make my life even better.

Despite all of that I found myself in a funk.  While it's completely understandable & I wouldn't fault anyone for feeling the way I am if they were in my position, I need to get myself out of the funk before it spirals further.  The unknown is scary & I can feel it causing anxiety to rise & turn into depression.  So, it ends today.

If this year has taught me anything it's that healing & growth aren't linear.  I know there will still be hard days & somedays I might feel like I'm taking 3 steps back, but I need to make a conscience effort to keep moving forward.  So for at least the next 30 days, maybe longer, I'm going to tackle a daily to do list.  Some things will be constant like drink my water, read, gratitude journal, etc. & some things will vary day to day based on what needs to get done.  

The goal is to change my habits.  To create better habits.  To become the person I know I'm capable of being.  The perfectionist in me also wants to make it a goal to check off all of the items everyday.  However, that's not always going to be possible, & that's ok.  I'm going to give myself grace.  As long as I'm making an effort, whatever gets done gets done.  What doesn't can be let go or added to the next day.  No more sitting still.  The next chapter starts now.

Thursday Thoughts - What's New With Me

If I had been on top of my shit you would have had a post from me every single day last week.  You also would have had one on Monday.  But life is a thing and last week included the end of the school year, packing up my apartment, moving all of my stuff into storage, & driving 1100 miles between Texas & Minnesota.  So instead you got 1 post, Monday Morning Coffee Vol 13.

That's not to say I didn't have posts drafted, because I did.  I had one drafted for every single day of the week.  Posts I started but never finished included:

-7 Years of Teaching

-What's Up Wednesday

-Summer Goals

-Friday Favorites

-Monday Morning Coffee Vol 14

Now of course if everything goes according to schedule MMC V. 14 will be popping up this coming Monday, but the rest, they probably won't get their own posts.  Well maybe I'll get it together & What's Up Wednesday will make an appearance at the end of this month, I've been saying that for a couple of months though & haven't actually posted one since March.

So instead of individual posts, here are some random thoughts & what I've been up to recently.

**I mentioned it about a week & a half ago, but I had a phone interview for a new job.  The interview was for an 11th grade US History teaching position at a newer high school down near Houston, WITHOUT coaching!  The interview happened on Wednesday May 29th at 9 am.  2 days later while I was somewhere in Missouri I got a call saying that they were still playing phone tag with my assistant principal, & it had to be approved by the board, but they'd like to offer me the position.  Monday morning I got an email from HR saying that I was officially being recommended to the board for employment.  So sometime next week I should be able to officially do my paperwork.**

**Besides family, I have told very few people about this, and other than my assistant principal & athletic coordinator at my current job, only 2 other people I work with even know that I interviewed.  Even though the job is basically mine, I don't want to make a deal about it or tell anyone until it's official.  AKA most people don't know that when I go back to Texas in July I won't be returning to my current job, and won't even be returning to the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  So if you're reading this & know me in real life... surprise!**

**I finished Blue Highways & started listening to Where The Crawdads Sing on Audible**

**I chopped my hair off.  I've only been saying I was going to since November**

**Nash & I spent 2 days driving from Texas to Minnesota, with a stop in Wichita, KS.  Since being back in Minnesota we've been enjoying the nice weather & being in the country.  This is the life we were meant for**

**I've been trying to find a roommate, & a place to live for when I move back down to Texas next month.  I'm fairly certain I've found a roommate, but I'm still looking for a place.  Fingers crossed it all comes together!  I've been looking at houses because a)I want a yard for Nash b)I'm tired of sharing apartment walls with other people & c)a 2 bed 2 bath house is less per month than a 2 bed 2 bath apartment**

**I am in need of a new laptop, or will be very shortly.  My personal laptop conveniently died about the time I started my current job in which I got a work laptop.  However, the second I resign from my current job, which will have to be before July 1, I'm going to have to surrender the only laptop I've been using for the past 2 years...  Sooo I have to get a new one ASAP**

Linking up with Kristen.

If I Wasn't A Teacher

This is my 7th year of teaching.  I had wanted to be a teacher since approximately the 1st grade.  Sure there were other things I considered between 1st grade & 12th grade (lawyer, forensic photographer, interior designer, event planner) but ultimately I applied to only one college the summer between my junior & senior year & got in.  

I applied to the top teaching college in the state & went in with a declared education major.  Granted when I started college I went in as an elementary major & graduated with a major in secondary social studies education.  I had even considered changing my major in college with only about a year left, obviously I did not.  I had thought about changing it to travel & tourism but felt that I had come so far that I owed it to myself to see it through since I had come so far.

There have been multiple times since starting my career even that I have considered getting out of education.  I even once called an Air Force recruiter as well as did 3 semesters of grad school in a non-education field.  So what would I do if I wasn't a teacher?

1. Real Estate
Since about my first year of teaching I have considered getting my real estate license and either doing it on the side and/or eventually doing it full time.  I actually plan on getting my license for real over the summer.

2. Athletic Organization

My 3 semesters of grad school were for communications.  I had wanted to do social media/PR/community outreach for an athletic organization.

3. Travel

I don't know exactly what this one would be but something involving travel.  Getting paid to blog/travel, working for a travel agency, I pitched to my cousin that we should start a company that plans surprise trips for people (they would pick how they wanted to travel/how long/and a general region -- we'd do the rest.)

4. Economically Disadvantaged

The longer I'm gone the more I realize how much I loved working with my kids in Houston.  I don't particularly love working in the classroom anymore though.  I would love to work with children who come from economically disadvantaged families & help them.  Whether that be getting into college, finding a career path, getting them into a better life.

5. Planning/Organizing

This one is also vague ha.  I love organizing & planning things.  So this could fall under pretty much any & all of the categories in different ways.

If you could do anything, what would you do?  Are you currently working in your dream job?

Linking up with Andrea @ Momfessionals