A year ago today...

A year ago today, I left my full time job to follow what I knew to be my true passion: teaching. Little did I know what a year it would end up being.

Anyone who lives in Michigan right now knows that getting a teaching job is not easy. Even so, I spent all of May taking the three classes I needed to make sure my certification was up to date (6 weeks/3 excellerated online courses = kill me now) and I was completely 100% ready to get a job in the fall.

Except....there were no jobs.

Well, to be fair, there were some jobs. But pair a social studies/history/psychology certification with no teaching experience and you have one super unattractive job candidate.

(Isn't it nice to just be honest with yourself every now and then?)

But I cannot even begin to tell you how assured I felt that I was right where I belonged. I just had that feeling. I remember leaving my job so unsure of what my future held, but being fully confident that I would look back one day and think "that was the best thing that could have ever happened to me".  Even in the midst of uncertainty and complete lack of interviews during the summer, I still knew that I was exactly where I needed to be. Of course, there were times where my husband, my mother, and friends would have questioned if I really believed that, but those were the moments when I just needed someone to listen to my fears and insecurities and then remind me of what a good move it was. And they did.

That was my year.  A lot of insecurities, fears, and uncertainties, but also a peaceful, calm feeling that told me that what I was going through would only get me to a better place.

It's a year later, and I'd say I'm in a better place.

I've learned more this year than I had in the previous three years combined...

I've learned that you have to be able to take risks.

I've learned that even when things are rough, you have to pick yourself up and move on.

I've learned that stepping out in faith and moving in the direction you know you're suppose to be moving in is a lot more satisfying than staying in a place where you feel safe.

I've learned a lot, but the thing that I am absolutely the most excited about is that another passion of mine came out in the last year. When I wasn't doing something that I didn't love 40 hours a week, I was surprised to find what I actually did love.

And if you're here on this blog, I think you can figure out what that is.

Looking back, it was a good year. Not easy. Scary. Lots of uncertainty. But totally worth it and really, really good. :)