What Do I Want To Be When I Grow Up?

I believe I am beginning to drive my family to insanity. Since moving to Texas I have had a strong desire to go, go, go! I guess I just got the desire ball rolling when I took that big leap to make a change in my life and shake things up a bit. Being a homeschooling mom for the past few years I have come to the conclusion the best learning comes from experiencing, seeing, and interacting. How can you truly "teach" about somewhere, someone, or something without touching, seeing, or experiencing it??

I am beginning to think my family does not have the same enthusiasm as I do for exploring and sightseeing. Even though hubby claims he does, I'm not so sure it is as with as much gusto as I have for it. I still have to prod him just a bit to get going out the door.

Summer used to love going, seeing, and doing. I have noticed the older she gets the less interest she shows in exploring her surroundings. I can remember a time not too long ago when she would awake every morning saying.."What are we going to do today mommy". She is now moving towards an age where she is more interested in playing with her friends or activities that involve interaction. I think I may have to squelch my desire to explore for yet another few years.....

After many, many years of not knowing what I would like to do with my life I think at the ripe old age of 44 I have finally figured it out. I love geography...I can study my wall world map as though it were a precious jewel. I dream of traveling, seeing, and doing and delight in showing others the same thing. I have realized I am a teacher at heart....a teacher not of arithmetic or reading, but of exploration...yes, I know if there is a such thing as past lives I was surely an explorer.

I would love to be one of those little old ladies you see in the Welcome Center handing out brochures and giving visitors ideas of things to do while they are in town.

Years ago while in my late teens I worked for a travel agency...AAA. My job was to tell people where to go and how to get there. That was always a running joke at the agency. :-) Anyway, I had to provide maps and destination information to vacationers along with the best route on how to get there. It was the one and only paying job I have ever had that I truly enjoyed.

Somehow everyday life took over and I moved into another phase....raising a family. Raising a family takes a big chunk of you. You tend to forget about you and busy yourself with taking care of your family losing yourself somewhere in the shuffle.

Now that my son is grown and my daughter is getting older and needs me less, I find that I am able to spend more time with me. I, like Summer, am also moving towards a different phase in my life and I am loving every minute of it. I finally feel comfortable enough in my own skin that I don't question what my heart leads me to do. I may have a few more wrinkles on my skin but, oh the joys of getting older!