Three years ago I left teaching and didn't think I'd ever go back. I had such a rough year that I thought every part of me that wanted to be a teacher was gone. Which broke my heart. I couldn't believe after working so hard in college and then taking graduate classes, that I just didn't want to do it anymore. I was 29, and I felt like I was starting over; that I needed a new career, and I needed it fast. I couldn't afford to go back to school, and even if I had been able to, I didn't know what else I wanted to be.
Luckily, I was hired on at a locally owned bakery and restaurant. To make a long story short, I eventually started decorating cakes. Which I loved. It allowed me to be creative and for that, I am so thankful. I also met a ton of great people, who I am glad to call friends.
Over the last year, I noticed that my perspective on going back to teaching was starting to change. I'd talk about a cool projects my classes did, and often found myself saying, "when I was a teacher..." After a lot of serious thinking and conversations with friends and family, I decided that I wanted to get back into the classroom. I'd had enough of a break to be refreshed and I was ready to make a change.
In the back of my head (and sometimes out loud), I'd think "I sure would like to get into a smaller, rural setting." It was the type of setting I was in during my first year of teaching, and I absolutely loved it. I decided that I would apply to every school district within two hours of Nashville. It took a lot of work, but eventually I think I applied to about 17 districts. Then, every day, I'd check each district's job posting page. One day I saw a posting for a K-12 rural school, and I clicked "apply". In the next few days I got a phone call requesting an interview, and two days after that, I found myself driving to the middle of nowhere, getting lost a couple of times, but eventually finding the school. After an hour and a half interview and tour, I felt sure that this was the place I belonged. It was EXACTLY what I was hoping for. The administrators were extremely nice and helpful and I was treated in such a way that I felt valued. That's not common in bigger school districts, which was why I was hoping for a fit like this. The next day, I got a phone call, was offered the job, and I was so excited. More excited than I'd been about anything in a long time.
The next bridge to cross was to find a place to live. I knew I had to leave East Nashville, which made me sad, but I just wasn't going to commute that far every day. I started looking in the Spring Hill area but nothing caught my eye. I kept thinking that I wished I could find a little house or duplex that was kind of out in the country to rent. I knew the chances of finding something like that were small. Most everything I came across was for sale, and I was not in the market to buy a house. Then, one day, when my mom and I spontaneously decided to drive around in the area, just in case, we came across a For Rent sign. It led down a gravel road to a cute, newly remodeled duplex. As soon as I pulled up, I called the owners, got the details and they sent someone out there to show me the place. It was in my budget, it had two bedrooms, washer and dryer connections and a great back porch. Also, there was this perfect little tree right in front where I could hang a variety of bird feeders and houses. I was excited before I even saw the inside of the place! When the landlord's daughter came to show the house, I instantly fell in love. I couldn't believe it, it was exactly what I was hoping for.
And that's how I know this is right, because I feel so peaceful about everything, and it's all just falling right into place.
In two weeks, I'm moving to this cute little house, where I will plant flowers and next spring I'll make a garden, where I will feed birds, and I'll watch the sunrise on the back porch in the morning, and I'll watch the sun set on the front porch in the evening. I will be starting a new adventure in my life. Already, I just feel so revived. Things have been hard over the last few years, and I can't help but think that there is a lot of sunshine coming my way.
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