New Year brings a New Season

Hawaii 2015                                            Photo credit: Debbie Smith

A New Direction

At the end of 2015 I resigned from my teaching position in Brisbane to start a new phase in my life and begin something I’ve been dreaming about for awhile. After two years of commuting two-and-a-half hours each way from Noosa to Brisbane, a lot of the time in standstill traffic, and after much discussion with my lovely husband, it was decided.

Was this a hard decision?

Short answer – yes.

And, no.

Yes – because I will miss my lovely students, work colleagues and working at one of the best places you could wish for.

No – because I will not miss spending so much money on fuel or tolls. We own an economic 4-wheel drive beast who is very good on fuel, but also owns a massive fuel tank and the Brisbane City Council have a shark tank that’s called Go Via that just seems to be more hungry these days for business vehicles.

And no (again) – because I won’t miss the restrictive five hours of sitting behind the wheel where mostly I thought of all the things I could be doing. Believe me, I did try to keep busy or find ways to entertain myself like ‘writing’ via recording, but I found out I’m not really cut out for this and found it very distracting. I tried listening to POD casts, and that was okay too. But, what I really wanted to do was be behind my desk, just like I am now, putting words on paper and watching ideas spill out onto the blank sheet. It’s a favourite thing of mine to do.

And yes (again) – because I will miss the companionship and singing hubby buddy who commuted for half of my trip both days. We’d often be found with the easy listening community radio station Sunshine Coast FM 104.9 cranked up to sing along with all our all time favourites. At least on 104.9, we knew all the words to most of the songs. Now I’m giving away our age, aren’t I?

But like the old adages say, ‘all good things must come to an end’, and ‘when one door closes another opens’.

Coming to a Decision

Well sometimes sayings aren’t always helpful, though they are good as general reminders.

It took me months of deep thinking on my own before I even raised the idea with my trusted confidante – hubby. After I discussed my thoughts with him initially nothing changed or was sorted. I just tested the waters and listened to what my ideas sounded like.

Then came months of mulling it over in silence, writing down my T plan to work through the positives on one side and the negatives on the other. After this I located my life plan goals and read through what I had written down years ago. Then hubby and I had more discussions. He was sold on the idea. I needed more convincing, although by this stage, I was leaning more towards making the decision to resign.

Everyone’s circumstances are different when it comes to making a big life decision like this. I know some people don’t think as hard or take as long as I did, but I just wanted to make sure I’d make the best decision for everyone it would affect. I have a very loyal nature and stay true to those I am committed to, including employers. And for some of us who are a little more mature than others, it is also very scary to be taking the plunge into new and uncharted waters. Sometimes it pays to play things safe. But for me, playing it safe isn’t always the best option. Taking risks can be empowering and can drive you to creative problem solving techniques.

Once the decision was made – EVERYTHING just seemed to fall into place.

People ask me, how’s retirement? And I cringe and burr up a bit when I hear these words, surprisingly. Some are joking, while others, aren’t. I’m one of those people who will never retire unless my eyes fail me or some other health condition robs me from being able to do what I want to do. So, there’s no retirement plans in place for me. But, I do know one thing for sure – an adventure beckons.

So, for the record … I’m not retired.

I am busier now than I’ve ever been; setting up a new business, proofreading for a couple of SunnyCoast authors and being where my heart is – behind my desk, or finding creative and interesting places to write near.

Pelicans – Noosa River                                                                       Photo credit: Debbie Smith

There is also a very small ‘happy secret’ I’m keeping close to my heart that’s taking up a little bit of my thoughts and plans during my days and nights, as well. One day soon, I hope to be able to share with you what it is, but for now, I’m keeping it a secret.

I hope you follow along with me and experience my new journey. This commute is one I’m going to treasure and I wonder where it is going to lead me?

Allow time to feel the wind in your hair                                           Photo credit: Debbie Smith

Thanks for taking time to read this.

Until next time,

Miss Debbie

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