Often as I take the dog on her evening walk my surroundings remind me that we live in Europe! This boy from a small town on the Canadian prairies is living half way around the world on a different continent and in a different country.
I have been blessed to see, visit and experience things that as a youngster I only read about in school or saw on television. I always wanted to see all these people, places and things but accepted the inevitability that I was going to stay inside my circle of comfort and familiarity. I thought that I would likely go on a few excursions to "exotic locations," but certainly not to the extent that I have experienced them. At times it is overwhelming to realize that I am living my dream.
Very early in my teaching career I was laid-off due to massive budget cuts. My fledgling desire to seek adventure had lead me to a school in another province but when I lost my position I returned to my home town. I vividly recall an experience that charted a new direction in life. For many weeks I had been seeking a teaching position with great veracity. One evening while considering my next move I came to the realization that I had come to fork in the road. On one hand I could stay in my home town, pay my dues until I could get a full time position, buy a house and settle down. Many of my friends had followed this path and were living happy lives. On the other hand I was single, did not own a home, most of my possessions fit in/on my car and every place in the world needs teachers. After a moment of contemplation I was struck with a thought that determined the direction of my life. Staying around home was a noble decision, but would I have the regrets of not taking advantage of the world of opportunity? Would I someday say to myself "I wish I had...."? It was then I decided to broaden my approach to seeking a new job. In the worse case scenario if things would not go well I could always go back home. The converse decision would be much more difficult from the perspective of logistics and more importantly a potentially complacent life. After a global search I ended up heading off to Texas, a place I had dreamed of living.
My personality is such that I am a cautious adventurist. I am willing to step out of comfort zone, but I usually need to take my time, think it out, etc. My fearful/cautious side will try to use logical rationale to persuade myself not to do something, but my stronger daring side reminds me that if I do not take the risk I may regret not doing it for the rest of my life. This inner battle may take a while but in the end I take the plunge.
The first two years in Norway we were miserable. Upon self reflection we came to the realization that our misery was self-inflicted. We had been focused on what we perceived as the negatives of where we lived and what we missed from the US rather than focusing on the positives around us. Initially it was a challenge but we forced ourselves to get out there and do stuff. Immediately our mindset and attitude changed. The last two years in Norway were awesome!
Two pearls of wisdom I have gleaned from life are to take advantage of the opportunities you get and make the most of the situation you are in. Somewhere I came across a study of individuals with much life experience, the results showed that the greatest regret they had was not what they had done, rather what they had not done and/or wish they had done. I continue to strive to grasp opportunities and soak up my surroundings.
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