Master of None

I've never been able to focus on one subject for very long. When I was younger, this sometimes bothered me. There was this kid in our class who was a World War II expert. He read books about many different aspects of it and whenever we discussed the war he was the fact checker. (At least that's how I remember it.) I remember thinking, "I could be an expert in something. I like studying WWII, but he's already got that. Maybe I'll study the Civil War. I could be an expert about that. (It was the 90s and all things Civil War were in vogue.) So I tried to study only the Civil War, but I quickly bored with the topic and couldn't stop myself from being curious about other things. So I gave up on the Civil War and my dreams of being an expert. Shelby Foote and David McCullough were doing a great job in the historical study and writing departments as well as winning the narration game. 

As a teen I loved to watch The Pretender (NBC), which was about this genius who could fill any position he needed to that episode. Doctor, race car driver, lawyer, whatever, he was just smart enough to know all the stuff. In college I heard a song about a woman the singer describes as "So New York and then L.A. and every town along the way . . . " She's so many different things. I loved that song. One of my all time favorite movies is Catch Me If You Can the story of Frank Abagnale Jr. who posed as an airline pilot, teacher, doctor, and lawyer until he was captured and imprisoned. If you're unfamiliar with this movie you must go watch it. As an adult I heard "Everything at Once" by Lenka and once again I was captivated. "All I want to be is everything at once."  One of my favorite passages from the Bible is Ecclesiastes 3:1 "To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven."

If you're picking up a pattern in my thinking you're way ahead of me. You see, I'm currently in a transition point in my life. For a total of 15 years I've taught kids K3 through high school seniors. All my experiences have been in private schools that did not require certification, but we have moved back to Michigan and to teach I need to get certified. Then came the big scary question -- Certified in WHAT? For me, certification would require almost enough credits to earn a masters degree so I read up on masters programs, but failed to find one that struck me as my life's work. I like so many different things. How can I commit to just one? I feel like that little girl trying to pick an area of expertise and coming up unsuccessful once again. 

Currently, I am mid-story. I haven't decided what I want to do with my life. I know I love schools and the "ah ha" moment when a child learns something. For the past two years I have been a substitute teacher and although there are drawbacks, I like it. I like being a science teacher one day, English teacher the next, and so on. I don't really know where I'm going to be in 5 years, but I plan on taking the opportunities God brings my way and running with them. 

This blog is about my journey. I will write about physical journeys, mental journeys, and literary journeys. I invite you to join in adventures with me because I love this life and I want you to see how beautiful it is too. ​

The four seasons tree - To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.