Three Little Words

It's hard to explain how three little words followed by a question mark can create such anxiety.  Since I made the decision to leave the job a few months ago, I can't tell you how many times I've been asked What Comes Next? 

As it turns out, Donnie and I have spent our entire lives with no long term plan.  Thirty years ago, as a young married couple we moved back to the same rural community where we had met in high school "just for the summer" as we figured out what came next for us and it has evidently been a long summer.  I have no regrets about that - it has been a great place to spend the years and raise a family but it was never a plan.  Nothing we've ever done has been considered a plan (pst - don't tell our kids - they seem to think we've had it all together over the years :).  We looked at what is on the list for Today and what does This Week's Schedule look like, and next thing you know we were starting Another School Year.  That is as far down the road as we've ever looked.

Now all of the sudden people think we are supposed to know what the rest of our life is going to look like.  The anxiety doesn't come from not knowing.  It comes from not having an answer for the question - as educators, we are used to being able to answer questions.

So - I have created the answer.  Whenever anyone asks "What Comes Next?" I am offering this.  Bailey's in my coffee in the AM, wine with dinner, and I'm going barefoot whenever I want.  That's enough of a plan for me.

I am now focusing on a different collection of three words - Happy New Year!