You Can Do It

So, I am currently thinking about what it means to leave the continent. I am terrified and exhilerated and there are several other exclamations and expletives that fit my mood at this exact moment.  I should be in bed, resting before a very long, very harrowing journey.  However, I find myself incapable of sleep at the moment.  As I sit here, wondering about what the future holds, one thing has stood out to me about other people's reactions to my current adventure.  So many people are so enthralled with this idea that I am leaving my entire life to move to another country/continent to do something bold. Some talk about how jealous they are.  Many talk about how excited they are.  Most have the same general comment: "I don't think I could ever do that..." Which leads me to my next post and the most Stremiest-Talks style post I think I've written in a long time.  

I've spent the last week with my best friend from college which means I went back in time reminiscing about our lives back in the day.  By doing so, it means that I remembered the scared, timid creature I used to be.  I am a completely different person than I used to be, but if you had told me ten years ago that I would be moving to Africa and starting over teaching middle school (?!) I would have laughed in your face.  For some reason people see this move as brave, and for me I see it as necessary.  This is a necessary step in my growth as a human being as well as growth in being a teacher. I love teaching more than anything. I once admitted to a group of teachers and staff at school that if history was a man, I would have married him years ago.  Yes, I am that dorky.  This opportunity was too fantastic to pass up, so I gave in and decided to leave my home and adjust to something new. 

The point of this post? I am nothing special. I'm just a girl, waiting for an airplane, moving to another continent. Anyone is capable of doing this, if they are so inclined.  However, if international travel is not your jam, then please, find whatever it is that makes you happy and make it happen! It took me a very long time to find my bliss, but there is enough bliss to go around. The biggest thing to remember is the age old phrase, "Practice makes perfect..." People are so automatically disheartened when they're not immediately great at something.  I am here to tell you, practice makes all the difference.  

For those who know me, I am a bit of a karaoke freak.  People who have never heard me sing are always shocked because they don't realize I can. When they do, they frequently think that it's just a natural ability. I have been singing since I could talk.  So I have been practicing singing for the last 25+ years.  I am not trying to toot my own horn, but I'm a fantastic teacher.  However, my first year teaching high school was an epic disaster.  My first year teaching middle school was, again, an epic disaster.  After a while, I learned the in's and out's and I became the best I could be.  

The point is that life is short.  If you love something, don't let anyone take it away from you.  Practice it. Love it. Do it. If you have any inclination to travel abroad, do not fight it.  Fight to do it! I have no idea how my life is going to turn out after this adventure, but I know that I will always have a home to come back to.  I will always have people to come back to.  All I hope is that whatever you want to do; practice, do it and, let it happen.  The world is a big, damn, scary place...but it's ours.

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