A Healthy Start

I'm finishing up my fifth year teaching wondering how I e.v.e.r. made it this far.

Flashback: I remember thinking my student teaching experience would never come. It came.

While student teaching, I remember the fear of never getting a job offer. It came.

I remember the excitement - the obsessive preparation that continued all summer long - for that first year of teaching.

Then, I remember the absolute burnt.out. feeling mid-November, the worry of, "how will I ever make it?".

I remember finishing that year like I'd just completed the worlds longest roller coaster ride. The high of recovering from that final plummet. The exhilaration of survival. And finally, the can't.wait desire for the next one.

I remember how much of a lunatic my husband thought I was that first year. How many times he questioned, "why would anyone ever choose this career?".

Then, I remember his astonishment when I said I wanted to do it again. I had to help him pick his jaw up off the floor while gently explaining the masochistic tendencies of a teacher.

Fast forward: I've ridden that roller coaster {nearly} five times now.

The good news: it gets easier. You know when to anticipate the climbs, the falls, the twists and the turns. You learn when to hold your breath and squeeze shut your eyes, and when to let go of the grab-bar, throw your hands in the air, and scream Whooo-hoo with everyone else.

Like a runner, I am finally finding my stride. I've learned how to settle in to a comfortable pace, relax my clenched fists, focus on my breathing, and take in the world around me.

And making it this far feels so good.