Time for Change
I just graduated, no not from college, though in January I did start back towards earning my English degree. It’s slow going so I suspect sometime around 2034 I’ll finish up, kidding…I hope. I graduated from my local school district, I guess I graduated again since the first time was at the age of 17, and just like most high school graduates, I swore never to return. Except I did, first I returned as a mom of littles, I was on the PTO board, a Friday folder mom, and I volunteered on field trips. My youngest was starting Kindergarten and my husband, who was feeling the pressure of solely supporting this family of five, said, “If you’re there all the time you might as well get paid for it.” So that August I was hired at the intermediate school. It was perfect, I was on campus with my oldest and had the same days/hours as my kids. I was there for five years before I moved to the High School where I stayed for the next eight years, I loved it (most days).
When my youngest graduated, a move up to the Administration Building brought a new position with a new atmosphere, I still worked for the district but it didn’t feel like it. I missed the kids running down the halls, the band, drill team, and cheerleaders doing walk-throughs on Friday mornings, I even missed the bells ringing. During those four years, I learned a lot about myself, what and who I want to surround myself with, where my strengths lie, what I’m willing to put up with, and what I’m not. I already knew all of these things but suddenly it felt vitally important to be a little selfish and do what I wanted/needed to do for myself.
On Friday I walked out for the last time as an employee, my mom was there waiting for me the same way I was for her when she retired. I’m not retiring, just shifting gears, on Monday I’ll start as the Houston Area Client Service Representative with Higginbotham. Someone asked me how it felt to leave a company I’d been with for 17 years and my response was, “I feel at peace.” Her response was simple, “That’s how you know it’s right.”
My time there was for a purpose but my life and priorities have shifted so it’s time for change. Tomorrow morning I’ll have a short commute to my new corner office with windows and a private bathroom, I just hope my new coworker and I get along, as long as she keeps the barking to a minimum we should be fine!
