I’m back! My last post was over a month ago, and I’m honestly surprised that I was even able to make that one. It has been an absolute whirlwind of a summer! I think I spent more time out of my home than in it. I’ll run through a quick recap because I don’t post a lot on social media, and there was so much that I did!

I spent the first week of June in Charleston, South Carolina. I got to see and learn about so much history, including Fort Sumter, the Rhett-Aiken house, the Rainbow Row, the USS Yorktown, and a model of the H.L. Hunley. I ate some amazing seafood and created some memories to last a lifetime. The very next week, I attended a concert, an NBA Finals game, and a Chicago Cubs game. My life slowed down for about two weeks until I was up and moving again (that was when I had time to create my last post). I attended a summer conference just for history teachers for five days, and a girls’ weekend trip immediately after I got home from the conference. My business partner and I were successful vendors during Fourth of July weekend. And finally, I flew halfway across the country to spend a day in Seattle. After that one day in Seattle, my family and I boarded a cruise ship to sail up to Alaska and Canada. We spent a week in awe of the beauty of nature.

This summer was probably the busiest summer of my life, but I enjoyed every minute of it. I learned and experienced so much. I took so many photos and created an absolute plethora of memories. It almost feels surreal that I’m starting work this week (no students yet, just meetings and preparations).

It is important to do things you enjoy. I’m not saying that everything you do has to be enjoyable, but it is helpful to you. They say that if you love what you do, then you will never work a day in your life. I don’t think that’s true. I think that even the best jobs are still work. However, being in a job or career that you hate will only suck the soul out of you.

I’m starting a new job. There were a lot of reasons I left my other position, but the short version is that I wasn’t enjoying a lot of what I did. I actually had to take some time and reflect if I wanted to continue teaching. And I came to the conclusion that I love teaching. I just felt stuck. However, spending the summer doing things I love brought a lot of joy to my life that I haven’t felt in a long time. I feel a lot more refreshed to start this new school year in this new job.

I teach middle school. I do not expect them to know what they want to do for the rest of their lives. My job is to do my best to prepare them for what’s next. They may not always love my class, but hopefully I can help create excitement for them. Learning is a lifelong process. But I’ve had students tell me how much they enjoy specific lessons or they enjoy my class as a whole. That makes it all worth it for me. That makes me love my job, and it helps them to be more excited about what we do in class.

I do what I love, and I love what I do. I will not pretend that every day is easy or smooth. But overall, I love the life I’m building, including my job, my hobbies, and the people that are involved. It’s taken work to get here, but I am excited for where I’m going.

If you find yourself doing something that you don’t love, it is okay to change it. You’re never too old to learn or try something new. You don’t have to be stuck in a dead-end job because that’s the only thing that you have known. It is okay to change, to try, or to fail. Life is way too short to be miserable. Reevaluate if you feel stuck. Find things that you love and enjoy. Try new things. You may surprise yourself.

Of all of the things that I learned this summer, I think the most important one is to do what you love. And that is something I will keep in mind as I transition to a new school year in a new job. I am excited for the journey ahead, and I can’t wait to see where it leads!