Moving On

Post by Lucy @ http://www.mylifeaslucille.blogspot.com/

Desi and I had been talking for a year or so about our career options. At the time, we were living in our new custom-built home that sat on 2 1/2 acres in a beautiful neighborhood. Thing 1 was 4 years old.

Desi had been working as a chemist for several years and I had been teaching at my present building for 8 years. We had very happy, healthy family and social lives. But Desi knew there was really nowhere for him to advance within his company. He was feeling disappointed with the limits of his career.



I had been teaching for over twelve years in two states, had completed my Masters Degree, and had taught grades 1-5. I was a Reading Specialist as well, serving on numerous committees. My principal looked to me as a leader in literacy instruction and staff development. At the time, I had written staff development and led multiple staff development training sessions. My colleagues looked to me for advice on teaching those "difficult" children. My opinion has always been that ALL children could learn. We just needed to observe their strengths and needs to make adjustments in our instruction. But I was becoming burned out. I think I felt some resentment too. We were expected to put children first - other people's children, that is. And I did. The days of teaching all day, conferences until 9:30 PM, and returning to do it again the next morning were exhausting. I don't mean to complain. I truly loved my job. And looking back now, I wish I had been able to dial back my Type A tendencies. Maybe we could have stayed.

Desi and I agreed he would pursue his options with other companies in other states and we would see what would happen. He went through the usual process. Resumes, monster.com, etc. In a way, I think I never truly believed any viable offers would come up.


Unfortunately, they did come. Head hunters rang his phone off the hook. And offers came. Lots of offers. Many of them were very good offers, viable offers with solid relocation packages and signing bonuses. One job offer was in Chicago, another in Wisconsin, another in North Carolina.


The night we made our decision is etched in memory. We sat at the kitchen island with pen and paper. We literally made out a T chart with + and - on each side. We listed the advantages and disadvantages for all of our options. By the end of the evening, we had decided together that he would accept one of the offers. We would leave our home state of Minnesota, sell our beautiful home and embark on an adventure. Just the three of us.


It's been 5 years since Desi and I moved here. I have regretted it every single day.