I've been dreaming of the day I could write this post for years. The only obstacle, really, was me and my own insecurities and insatiable need to procrastinate. Or was it fear? In any case, here goes: I'm back in school! This Saturday we spent several hours at the local Community College getting myself enrolled and set up to start classes on Tuesday.
I'm stunned that it's been 14 years since I last stepped into a classroom. Where did all that time go? I'm not going to sit here and wallow in regret that I didn't do it sooner because honestly, I couldn't have...and wouldn't have.
When I left school I was pretty well done with it. In my own misguided mindset, I'd decided that I didn't need it. I would power ahead and forge my own way in the world. One year rolled into another and that into another and before I knew it I was married with two children and making about the same amount of money I have been for the past decade. I've moved from field to field in search of greener pastures, and while I've occasionally found them, the green is always a little more brown than it first appears.
It took me a while, but I finally managed to come around to my senses and get myself back into school so I can finish my degree and do something with myself. I'm not shooting for the most glamorous or high-paying career in the world. I just want something stable that I can be proud of. A real career instead of just a job. And more importantly...most importantly, I've chosen to do something I really want to do.
I'm going to follow my dream and be a history teacher. I've always had an intense love of history and a desire to not only know more about it, but to also understand how it impacts the here and now. I want to be able to share that love; to possibly be the catalyst that changes someone's life for the better. I want to take a shot at being able to help others see the connections to our past that so many people so often overlook. Our history is who we are. Without it, we have no identity, just like without the past 14 years of my life, I'd never have realized where I need to go in the future; and getting to the future requires me to work as hard as I can in the present.
College, I'm back.
