I wish I could say that everything continues to be peachy, but I would be lying. In order to be able to support myself I have to continue working at The Cheesecake Factory even though I am working full time as a first year teacher. Working both of these jobs means that I work 7 days a week, and never have a full day off to recover. This is taking a huge toll on me, and I find myself often longing for the days when I could sleep in, and not have to wake up to an alarm clock. When I could spend a whole day in my pajamas, and doing things simply because I wanted to, not having deadlines to meet. Today is Veteran's day, and it is the first day I had off from both jobs since school started.
Just writing these words is making me realize that I need to be taking more time for myself. I'm already contemplating if I could afford to take off 1 day a weekend every other week? If not maybe once a month? I will be sure to report back regarding this matter ASAP.
I wish I could say that working at The Cheesecake Factory in addition to teaching renders me enough money so that I do not really have to worry about my bills, and buying groceries and other various materials that I need to survive... but I would be lying. I've gotta be honest... I have a lot of debt. The largest chunk of that debt is of course student loans. I am so thankful for my education, and I understand that I was making an investment in my future, but I do regret my choices which brought me to those loans. If I was properly educated about how these loans would have affected my life, I would have made some different choices. I also have a lot of credit card debt. Looking back, I do not have a very financially responsible past. I was a frivolous spender, and I am learning now how to be more frugal. Unfortunately it is affecting my well being since I am using all of my energy to work, and I still feel that I don't make enough money to feel comfortable.
Teaching is also not what I expected it to be. I have worked in many different classrooms, and with many different grade levels. I thought I knew exactly what I was getting myself into, and how to handle having my own classroom. I have to admit that I was wrong about this. Having my own classroom has been the biggest challenge I have ever faced. The amount of work I put into this job is unreal! I have had to make a schedule for myself to force myself to stop working to MAKE SURE that I take some time for myself each night. It has taken me all of this year so far to learn that I need to do this in order to stay sane, and I continue to learn what I need to do in order to survive.
At this point, I am not quite sure what my life has in store for me for the future. I am constantly contemplating what my life's work is meant to be, and I have recently been exploring many natural life choices in order to find these answers. I must say, that in doing so I have learned a lot about myself. I look forward to continuing on this journey of exploration, in order to find out who I am, and where I belong in this world. I also look forward to sharing more of this journey with the world, if I can stick to my schedule :)
 |
| School Photo 2013-2014 |
