-Seneca
Or sometimes you just happen to be in the right place at the right time. The stars align and magic happens.
This past week and a bit, some incredible things have happened.
First, I interviewed and got a contract at an amazing private school called
Haileybury. They had been having troubles finding a science teacher mid year and then my name came their way and things panned out. The school campus is 1x2km and gorgeous. I will be teaching 3 classes of grade ten science and one grade nine. Perfect fit, right?
I will have a lab tech who will set my labs up for me and help me out if need be! I have been assigned a mentor and a coach to help me figure out the day to day going ons of the school. I'm going to be making a shit tonne wonderful salary. The pros just don't stop.
Ah but alas, the dreaded downfall, the commute by public transport is still over and hour both ways from my current location.
Did you catch that? Current location. Yes, I'm moving again. For the fifth time in 2 1/2 years. Moving to a place that is only twenty minutes away from my new school. Close to the train station which runs on the line near my gym. Oh, and you can see the beach and water from my bedroom. Just beyond the fire pit and BBQ. If you didn't already know, I love all of those things. The building is full of people my age. There is, apparently, a communal kayak.
Everything's coming up Kate!
At the moment, I'm waiting in a tattoo shop to get my very first tattoo. A thigh piece that is a Canadian themed compass. I've had a few people ask why I'm getting a Canadian tattoo in Australia.
I'm proud to be Canadian. I'm proud of where I'm from. That's something about me that will never change. Never forget your roots. Where I started my life and lived the vast majority of my life will never cease to be a part of me. Your history, whether it were a positive or negative experience, will have a hand in defining your character.
I don't know how long I will stay here in Australia.
The year? Two years? Forever?
I'm really liking it and it's only just the winter. So much about a person can change, but being Canadian is a constant. Regardless of whether your past was a positive or negative experience, you are who you are because of it.
It's kind of a big tattoo for a first one- go big or go home?
It was kind of impulsive. I knew I wanted one, but when I made the appointment, I'd assumed there'd be a waiting period( 2-3 months?) and, as it happened, they had an opening the following week. So I went in, the artist had drawn something up from my rambling description and I just said, "Let's do it."
Update: obviously, this post has been written over a few days (Sunday-Wednesday). Healing is going well and I'm still totally into it. No regrets.
"Everything that happens, happens for a reason."
- Marilyn Monroe (?)
Everything that happens happens as a result of choices that have been made, mostly. Sometimes fluke, even senseless, events occur. When these things happen, how a person reacts to them will dictate the path their life takes from that point forward. I don't believe everything happens for a reason. Sometimes, things just happen and there doesn't have to be some deep existential meaning.
As comforting as it may be.
Our life is the result of our choices and our reactions. Choosing what moves you (taking the time to discover what moves you) over what your "supposed" to do or what you appear to be best suited for.
A friend of mine asked me for advice lately and it's began like this,
"I should want to..."
Which made me think, why should you want to. The social norm dictates that? You like what you like and there is no shame in that. There is a rapturous beauty that encapsulates someone who genuinely knows what they're all about.
And lives that way unapologetically.
Something I've only begun to delve into. I'm thirty and only in the last year have really become totally comfortable with me. I know what I'm about. I have specific standards for myself. I use specific rather than high. Using the term "high standards" implies there is an inherent hierarchy of things. Some things are better than others and those are the things that capable people should strive for. Doing "less" would be a failure to meet one's full potential. Just because one has the potential to do something, doesn't mean it will bring them joy or a sense of a fulfillment.
Now, especially in adolescence, I think it's important to explore all of ones capabilities. Don't know unless you try, right?
However, just because someone is good at something doesn't mean they are meant to do that. It doesn't equate to a failure to reach potential or that society has been let down in someway.
Whether it be the relationships you keep, your career choices, or the place you call home, just because it looks good on paper, doesn't mean that it's the best option.
I've had all three happen in the last 2 1/2 years. A long term relationship, that made sense from an outside perspective, came to an abrupt end- under less than desirable circumstances. I decided to forgo an opportunity to seek permanent employment in a school division where I'd built a reputation and had connections. Finally, of course, I moved 15000 kilometers from home, alone, to pursue different opportunities.
I'm happy. My life is such an adventure right now. I've started from scratch, across the world, and, while some things feel familiar, excitement and new experiences lurk behind every corner.
The difficult decisions to make challenging changes has left me feeling more fulfilled. Had I stayed in that cushy, comfort zone, my life would look fine on paper. It would look good actually. Real good. However, my insides would be slowly rotting until my unique essence became a shadow of my younger years and their tightly coupled ambition.
Here, I am.
Thirty, single, and far away from everything I've ever known.
I have a feeling that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.
Now, if my students would stop asking me when I'm going to get a boyfriend...
No comments:
Post a Comment