Riding Solo

Today is the first day of school. However, I didn’t show up.

Let me tell you why.

You may not know this but in addition to my thesis design business, I’m also an eighth grade math teacher.

I went to college straight out of high school, busted my cojones off, and graduated in four years with a double major and a minor. 156 credits in 4 years.

Pure craziness.

I’m certified to teach pretty much everything under the sun. You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone with as many certifications as I have. I was driven.

I was offered my first teaching job before I even graduated from college. It wasn’t my ideal job but at the time, teaching jobs in Jersey were nonexistent. The fact I was offered one was a miracle and it was a great opportunity to get my foot in the door. So I took it.

Later that same year, my “dream job” opened up. It was a middle school math teaching position at the exact middle school I attended as an attitude stricken preadolescent. My favorite teacher was going to be my mentor. Not to mention, my boyfriend was teaching there, too. Talk about things working out for a girl.

I taught there for over five years and during that time, things changed. Teaching changed. Life changed. I changed. The excited 22-year-old girl who was ready to take on the world was now long gone and I, along with my family and friends, were stuck with a lost 28-year-old who could barely get out of bed in the morning.

Something had to give. And what I did about it was viewed by some people as insane.

I didn’t show up for school today because I made the difficult decision not to return to teaching. A few months back, my good friend Willie Jackson gave me some great advice about the whole situation:

No job, person, or amount of money is worth your continued unhappiness.

And that, my friend, is why I’m currently riding solo.

I gave up my pension, benefits, salary, and job security. I gave up part of who I was.

Most people were indifferent about it. Some people were so excited for me that I thought they were going to pee their pants. Some others were ignorant and thought it was the stupidest decision I could ever make.

But you know what? Who the hell cares.

I gained something more important than all of that….

Happiness

Riding solo is about doing what you love and not trying to please a soul besides your own. It’s about the struggles. It’s about the triumphs.

It’s about loving life.

Are you currently riding solo? If so, how’s it going for you? If not, do you long for the day you can? I’d love to hear about it. Let’s talk in the comments below.