by Linda J. Lord

My husband just left the house. He is beginning a brand new adventure today. When I met him five years ago he was working a job that he didn’t particularly enjoy and the conditions were less than optimal. The one good thing about it was that we met while I was there conducting a training session. After we had been seeing each other a while, and I could tell he was miserable at work, I asked what he always wanted to do for a career. He replied that he had wanted to become a high school English teacher. “So why didn’t you?” I asked. As is the case with many of us, he answered that life had just taken him in another direction.

Funny isn’t it… how much power we give “life”?
Most people spend more time planning their vacations than they do their entire lives. Long story short, to become a teacher he had to upgrade his university marks- a lot! It meant returning to school full time and successfully completing 13 back to back classes and achieve an “A” in each one. With much dedication – and a fabulous support team at home (insert my name and the children’s names here) – he was accepted into the faculty of education. From there he graduated on the President’s Roll.

Following a wedding and major back surgery, he waited a year to apply for employment. In that time, he volunteered at a local high school and a local grade school. When he applied for work, he was interviewed and hired as an occasional teacher (supply teacher for a few days at a time). But he never worked one day as a supply teacher. Instead, he received a call for a long term placement. A contract that was originally scheduled for six weeks; lasted for the entire semester. Before that contract ended, he was offered a permanent full time teaching position at a local high school in the English Department.

He just left the house…
I share this story to offer hope. Hope to dream your dreams, make your plans, and take consistent action in the direction of your goals. Have faith that when you are aligned with what really matters and you follow that still small voice you really can change things.

Filed under: The HOPE Chronicles