monday morning musings

...and now they have turned into Monday night musings as I sit here in a hotel room. Alone. Did I hear a faint "aww?" I hope not. I love a good hotel! I could be so content in a hotel room for days. I don't know what it is about it, but just being in one makes me feel as though I am on instant vacation. And this hotel, just a Marriott Courtyard is BRAND NEW. You should have seen me when I walked in. I was like a kid in a candy store. You might be thinking wasn't she just at the beach? Well yes, yes I was. I spent last week on vacation in Hilton Head, South Carolina with family. 

This week is different. Even though the hotel helps break the mood a tad, the trip is far from vacation. This trip is for work - not my art, but as my dad would say, "real world." 

In case anyone has forgotten, I have a Master's Degree in education. I've worked with children forever. In fact, I was a Kindergarten assistant for a while. I left the school system to complete my degree. Though I found my way back in through substituting, never did I find my way into my own classroom. Shelves of labeled and organized books - by author and theme, mind you - have now taken up storage space in my parents basement for over a year and a half. 

I think sometimes a situation just becomes so stagnant that we forget how to see a way out. My oldest brother (yes, I have two - one lives in Atlanta, the oldest in Alaska) every time I would talk on the phone to him he would ask about the job search and I would say "there is literally nothing here!" And his response was always "it's time to move!" Just like that, those words could roll off his tongue. 

I guess they are easy to utter for someone who doesn't live within the contiguous United States. Both of my brothers have always been far more brave than I. Whether I tell them or not, I admire it greatly. I try to be like them. But the truth is, there are parts of them that I think I have learned to just accept that they have far greater capabilities. 

Yet, I guess there comes a time when we have to accept that sometimes things don't always turn out the way we plan. I thought when I came back to Atlanta from New York that would be it. Now who knows. I got in the car this morning and headed to Charleston, South Carolina. Why? I'm not entirely sure. The trip was fun though. Some very good friends of mine were headed here to visit family, so we did a little caravan and the 11 year-old rode with me. We had so much fun. The song lyrics above came on and I had forgotten how much I love the song until I was blaring it to tune out her Sponge Bob skit. We drove straight to the County School District office where I walked right in and handed the lady in HR a pile (resume, reference letters, transcripts, and tests scores). I couldn't believe I did that. I had on a skirt, but not a suit. I looked hellish after that drive, but she sat and talked with me and the last thing she said after "you need to just go call and talk to some principals" was "you just need an offer!" That's been the tricky part all along...so here's hoping. But at least I got out the map I guess.