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Saturday, May 27, 2017

Adulting Month Five

I cannot believe that over an entire month has passed since I've published a post. Navigating the world of adulting has truly consumed me.  Month five has been much more positive than the previous two months. 

 I have been a long-term substitute teacher in a seventh grade math class for five weeks now. This position has confirmed that I have chosen the right profession. It has been quite fun putting all that I learned the past five years into action with students that I can actually call mine.  In five short weeks, I have already learned so much. I've learned a lot about myself, the inner workings and politics of schools and the surrounding community, and best teaching practices.  Waking up every morning and working at the same place has been quite refreshing compared to the day to day changes I experienced while substitute teaching in five different school districts earlier this year. 

I'm finally establishing routines in my personal and professional life, which makes me feel like I actually have a grip on things.  I am a creature of habit, and I LOVE routines.  I thrive when I can schedule my time out.  I've learned that packing my lunch the night before, picking my outfits out for the week on Sunday nights, and going to bed before 11pm are crucial to a successful work week.

Since I've started my life as a working woman, I realized it was time to make a big girl purchase.  During my second week of work, I purchased my first car.  I had been searching for quite some time now. I had determined the criteria that was important to me- sun roof, heated seats, leather seats, a cross over size vehicle big enough to fit my pup, and something that would be safe in winter weather.  I had it narrowed down to about four different types of cars. One afternoon, Todd and I went to test drive a few different cars just for the heck of it.  I ended up hating the car that had been #1 on my list and loving the one that I thought I wanted the least.  Trust me when I tell you that test driving is so important to purchasing a vehicle.  We met with a sales associate, but I walked away that afternoon thinking my credit wasn't be established enough to actually purchase a new vehicle. Several weeks passed and the car was still on my mind. After a few phone calls with the dealership and some serious thinking, I decided to purchase the car! Initially, the purchase was overwhelming, but looking back I don't regret it one bit. I am now the proud owner of a Black 2016 Subaru Forester Limited. I settled for a black interior, but ended up benefiting from all of the limited features so I can't complain.

Looking ahead at month six, I'll be entering the uncertainty of what comes next again. As of right now I don't have a full time teaching contract for the upcoming school year. I have no idea what I'll be doing three months from now, and I am much more comfortable with this unknown feeling than I was in January.  I am hopeful that things will work out how they are supposed to.  I have been working hard to apply to any and all jobs that I am qualified for in hopes that the right school will want me.  In the mean time, I am working on putting my summer plans together. I'll be nannying again three days a week, working a camp, working out, playing field hockey, and the rest is up in the air.

Lessons I've learned in month five of adulting:

Being tired is a lame excuse. 
Seriously, I had been using this as a reason not to so much- work out, get together with friends, play with my puppy, say yes to adventures, and enjoy life.  During the past month I realized that mind over matter is actually a thing. Although I might be tired after school, I've started to push through the exhaustion and make it to spin classes, grab drinks with friends, and have more fun.

The importance of eating during a working lunch.
As a teacher,  your time to get things done during the school day is limited. I've found that working lunches are necessary in order to get everything crossed off the to do list before I head home for the day.  In recent weeks, I've frequently forgotten to actually eat during these working lunches. On those days, I found myself struggling to make it through the second half of the day because I had such little energy.  I've found that even eating something small is better than not eating at all.


Goals for the next month:
-Continue working out regularly
-Get together with friends I haven't seen in awhile
-Publish a post at least once a week

XOXO