You may (or may not) have noticed that I didn't do my traditional Year in Review blog for 2010. It was a pretty good year - I completed my first year of teaching, had the summer of a lifetime, and began my second (and arguably better, in most regards) year of teaching. There were some men in the subtext, but no one wholly inspiring.
And this amalgam didn't inspire a blog come the end of December.
But, I think that my life, since beginning TFA, has been all about fate. I was placed in Tulsa just as my mom elected to do treatment there; I started a new chapter in my life with a really interesting start, and 2010 brought with it a roller coaster of life and work and more life. Nothing awe-inspiring or symbolic, but what I had to get through to get here. I grew closer with my kids, discovered new wounds in America's educational system, and felt my head banging against the wall of injustice...over and over again.
But it was those experiences that led me to this summer. To Denver. To the Senator's office. To knowing that change must happen, that I am a change agent, and I am in good company. That we need to raise an army and, for the kids in Tulsa, for the kids around the country, we need to do things better. Not only is this knowledge all the more present, but I'm building a skill set to address the issues, and a support network of incredible leaders.
Beyond that, all of my social interactions have led me to a place where I recognize the power of positivity, I know who my friends are, and I believe so greatly in the significance of all types of relationships. If it hadn't been for the crazy college-esque summer of 2010 followed by the enigmatic social life of the fall, I may not have chosen relationships the way I do in 2011. I may still cling to things that are worth losing, or not have learned to build up my resiliency again.
It's kind of this notion that "everything happens for a reason."
And 2010, in all of its nothingness, contained so many of the seeds that have sown me into this moment. I had a one on one sit down with a state senator today, talking about what I want to do and why. This was followed by an incredible soul food lunch and my decision to register for the GRE. Then, I enjoyed good company on a downtown rooftop for happy hour. Then, before sitting down to dinner with my family, I'm invited to a future dinner with a former governor. And I have great friends I can talk about all of this with - and all of whom have great, blossoming narratives themselves.
So it took a long time for the words to form. To acknowledge what 2010 meant. But that's kind of the other side of "everything happens for a reason." We see the reasons as they happen, but it's only time that actually reveals the truth behind the reasons. And leads us in directions that we least expect, but need the most.
Cheers to finding, even belatedly, purpose. Here's to acknowledging it, embracing it, and knowing that because of it, it will all be ok.
~MJ
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