Celebrations2005 was filled with many celebrations for me--big and small. Seeing Paris, the D-Day beaches and Ireland were definite highs. Seeing my parents in April and August was fantastic. I made new friends, expanded old friendships, and in every thing I did, I grew as a person. I got Kevin Spacey's autograph and for one, very cool, second, watched him chuckle and thank me for a remark I made. I had the joy of coming back to my Millie in August and finding that she remembered me. The kindergatos took over our home and have been a welcome source of laughter and happiness.
Yes, it's been a good year, but more importantly, it's been a year of...
GrowthI got off to an emotional and sometimes rocky start. Leaving California for the new and unknown of Washington 3 days after Christmas was both a huge adventure and a scary prospect. More and more I started to question where my place in this world was...and it's a question I still ask, one year later.
Let's face it--when I returned to St. Peter's in January (jet lagged and sick), I came to the startling conclusion that my honeymoon was over. Suddenly I was very tired of putting up with some of the B.S. the kids were handing me. I was sick with a sinus infection for most of January. It took a lot of work to climb out of that hole, and I agonized terribly the whole time.
It came to a head in May, when the difficult (and yet easy) decision was made. It took a couple of months, but I started to realize that Washington just might be a nice place to live.
The hardest moment of my year? It wasn't turning in my notice at St. Peter's. It wasn't 13-year-old Mark telling me, "I hope your plane crashes." It wasn't the day-to-day struggle to keep order in my classroom, or the lack of support from my faculty leader. The single hardest moment of my year was the very second the plane lifted off the ground, and it truly hit me that I was leaving England.
That was hard. It's hard to give up a dream that big. But then, have I really given it up? Nah--I might just go back. Then again, I might just change the location of that dream to Washington. The beauty of it all is that I have possibilities as 2006 begins. I made it to England, so I figure I can do just about anything I set my mind to.
Enough reflection! I want to move on to my...
Top Five Moments of 2005 (in no particular order...)1. Seeing the D-Day Beaches
2. Mom and Dad greeting me at SeaTac with a "Welcome, Princess Foo-Foo!" sign.
3. Saying, "I loved 'Beyond the Sea'" to Kevin Spacey and seeing him smile and hearing him laugh and say, "Thanks."
4. Wild Seattle adventure with Heather.
5. Having friends all over the world...well, in England and the U.S., anyway!
May you have a happy, safe New Year's celebration (I'll be at a Navy bar admiring the...decorations) and may you be blessed in 2006!
Cheers,
Meg
No comments:
Post a Comment