How Did I Get Here?
When is the last time you heard someone say, “This is exactly where I thought I would be at this stage of my life”? More likely you’ve heard, “If you told me a year ago that I would be doing (fill in the blank) I wouldn’t have believed you.” Life is full of the unexpected; events that surprise us, sadden us, fill us with joy and make us wonder how the heck did I get here?
After I started writing this blog, my daughter said something that got me thinking. She said, “Mom, I didn’t know you had all this in you.” It got me thinking about how I ended up here, a wildly successful blogger with 39 Instagram followers. (Ha Ha) But seriously, I decided to take a look back and piece together the events that shaped who I am today. This is my timeline.
College: a tough time in general for most people trying to figure out what to do with the rest of their lives; no different for me.
First Job: worked as a recruiter in Richmond after post grad program didn’t work out. Overworked and underpaid.
Married with a new baby in Silver Spring, Maryland: none of my friends had kids yet; had to learn how to be a mom in an unfamiliar city at the young age of 24
Moved to Virginia Beach: husband needed a career change so we headed to the beach. A lot happened in the 6 years we lived here; husband started school, 2 more kids came along and I worked as a nanny.
Moved to Charlotte: met new people and tried to fit in; are the kids adjusting?
Moved to Richmond: met new people and tried to fit in; are the kids adjusting?
Moved to Lynchburg: final move! Are we settled?
Of course there’s a lot more to each bullet point. I could write a blog post about each move that we made, and maybe one day I will. But for now this list provides some insight into what led me to this point. Way back in college I discovered a book called The Portable Pep Talk: Motivational Morsels for Inspiring You to Succeed. I bought it when I was completely frustrated and angry about where I was headed. Nothing was working out the way I thought it should. This little book is great because it’s not a long self help book that demands a lot of time or attention. It’s a series of short essays on topics like attitude, habit, opportunity and forgiveness.
I guess I have adopted this method of using stories and pep talks to navigate through my life. Not only for myself, but for my husband and my kids. In Charlotte I had to help my husband through the difficult decision of switching residencies; we moved to Lynchburg when my daughter was starting high school- a challenging time for a teenager; now I’m counseling one of my boys who’s not sure where he is headed, not unlike a lot of you out there.
If you told me three years ago that I would have a blog, and I would be sharing deeply personal stories about myself and my family, I would have thought you were nuts. But therein lies the beauty of life. The unforeseen, the accidental and the unpredictable make us the amazing creatures we are.
Today’s post can be summed up by a quote from one of my favorite authors, Ann Patchett.
“That’s how I discovered my truest destiny was a thing I never saw coming.” Mic drop.
