From gainful employment to indentured servitude

Big things are definitely happening in my world.

First (and possibly most importantly) - the Cubs. Who would've thought that they'd get this far? Let's just hope Bartman stays home this time.

Secondly (and maybe equally shockingly) - I'm moving! Now, if you're a consistent reader of this blog, you've certainly heard me say that I'm not sure Chicago is really the place for me. I certainly love stuff about it, and it's most definitely home right now, but I've always been drawn to the smaller towns of my youth. So am I moving to Bloomington? Madison? back to Carbondale? No.... I'm moving to Baltimore.

I know, I know - that doesn't exactly fit, but hear me out!

Baltimore, obviously, is where Carl, Kathleen and (the love-of-my-life) Lily live. :-) I've missed having family nearby. I miss seeing them regularly. And, well, I just need a change. I really feel like I've been living in my cozy little comfort zone for the last... let's say 5 years and I need to push myself a little. I need to take a risk. I need to leave the familiarity of Chicago, my steady job, my fail-proof friends and just see what else is out there.

I'm certainly going to miss a lot about Chicago. I don't think I'll really even fully understand how much until I'm gone. But, barring a targeted nuclear attack, it'll still be here if I ever want to come back. And I know I'll visit.

And I'll miss parts of my job. It's been a steady-force in my entire adult life. (Granted my entire adult life is not really that long.)

And, I'll really, really miss my friends. I was telling Nicole last night that while I'll miss her and the rest of my "regulars", I know I will stay tight with them despite the distance. The more acquaintance type friends, the friends of circumstance, friends of friends, etc... it'll be much harder to stay in touch and remain close. And that's hard to walk away from.

I'll also miss being close enough to a lot of my family to drive over for the weekend and see them. Even though I'm not able to do it that frequently, it's nice to know I can meet mom for lunch on the weekend, drive over to either one of my grandparents' houses for an overnight, etc. I've liked having that option! But I know, in reality, the amount I see everyone is not going to change that much.

And I also know this move is not forever. The plan (or as much of one as I've got at the moment) is to live in Baltimore until next May or possibly June. Then, as Carl and Kathleen move on to wherever they go next, I'll move on to wherever I go next as well. What does that mean? Well, I'm not entirely sure. It will likely mean coming back to the midwest. Perhaps to remain close to Carl and Kathleen, or perhaps to check out some new place that seems to fit.

What will I do in the meantime, you ask? Well, I'm fortunate to have found a part-time position in Baltimore in a field I've always wanted to try out. I'll be working at an after-school program in a K-6 school, helping kids get up to proficiency levels in literacy and math. From what I know, it's not a homework help program or a baby-sitting service. They appear to have a very structured curriculum that has been proven to help students reach the levels they need to be at to progress to the next grade. It's very part-time and not a position I would be able to take on if it weren't for my awesome brother and sister-in-law who have agreed to take me in for the next 8 months. But, my hope is, it will help me get a better sense of whether this is a field I'm really interested in pursuing. And if it is, I hope the position will give me some of the "hands-on" experience that every organization in this field is looking for.

As it so happens, my current employer has offered to keep me on part-time to work remotely for a few more months to help make the transition here a little smoother. I'm not 100% sure how that will end up working out, but I've agreed to do it for awhile and see how it goes. This also allows me a little more time to get more of my work-world organized before I'm officially gone.

I'm, understandably, a little sad for all the changes and things I will miss, but ultimately I'm really excited about what's next. I don't know that I'm someone that always needs to be looking for the greener pasture, but I do think it's invigorating to just change everything around and start fresh now and again.

The other day, I was telling Carl all the things I'm planning on doing when I'm there - like walking the dogs, babysitting, cleaning, cooking.... He laughed and said, "You're not an indentured servant!"

And I guess that's true, but I am eternally grateful that I have such a loving and supportive brother (and sister-in-law!). And, besides, I love taking care of people - I'm honestly looking forward to playing susie-homemaker a little bit. Mostly I don't want to be a nuisance and instead help out wherever I can.

I'll do my best to keep you all in the loop as everything progresses. Wish me luck!