It’s been a little over two weeks since I got cleared to
drive again, and, honestly, getting my car back is rather anticlimactic. To
begin with, I’ve long been a walker, often choosing to strap on sturdy shoes as
opposed to messing with traffic. I found myself enjoying the daily challenge of
figuring out how to get my errands done, especially when the weather was frigid
and icy. It added a layer of adventure to my rather mundane routine and helped keep
me moving on the days the vertigo left me feeling especially crummy.
 |
| After pausing to rest on a snowy day. That's a lie. I wanted to see the size of my butt print. |
In short, I didn’t really miss driving.
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| Sunshine and ice |
I did, however, miss traveling, and started taking steps to secure
the ability to do so. After several conversations with my managers at HMH, in
mid-February, I was put in touch with a woman who travels to support math and
science teachers all over the country. She has several consultants on her team,
but none, besides herself, who will do secondary science. I love secondary
science. We both agreed that for this, and many other reasons, I would be a
great addition to her team. We outlined a plan so that I could use my two
months of remaining down time to get the proper certifications and be ready to
go once I got the All Clear.
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| Evidence of college-town antics |
Unfortunately, things were not that simple. I’ll spare you
all the tedious and infuriating details of corporate bureaucracy, but by the
time my May 9th doctor’s appointment came around, I was no closer to
being added to her team. In the end, executives several levels above her didn’t
want to hire me. They are in the process of restructuring and don’t want to add
any more consultants until they know whether more are needed.
Never mind that my skills and experience are uniquely suited
for a couple of hard-to-fill niches within the industry. Yes, I am a little
bitter.
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| Friends helping me take care of the unfortunate bird on the front porch |
In the meantime, I still have the job I always had at HMH,
so I’m not completely out on my ear. It’s just going to take a little longer to
rebound from the monetary cost of the seizure. To fill in the gaps, I’m
applying for part-time jobs around Columbia and looking at a couple of
full-time opportunities.
I am disappointed that I can’t travel like I did last
summer, but I think I can swing a couple of shorter trips. Maybe.
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| All six Friends are in there somewhere |
This isn’t where I expected when I left teaching a year ago,
but this venture was always a gamble. I wanted and needed to shake things up. That
has definitely happened. I don’t
believe these changes are even close to over.
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| Flat Branch Creek along the MKT Trail |
While central Missouri was never the dream, Columbia is a
nice town and I’m starting to connect with a few people.
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| The six Friends and five musicians outside City Hall |
And I still enjoy being able to walk almost everywhere I
need to go. (c:
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