Rebuilding Rob

What positive events have taken place in your life over the past year?

I’m going to go slightly out of the box with my response to this prompt. Some of the life events listed here may seem like negatives, but resulted in lessons I’ve learned that have led to me being a better person.

Leaving a job at one school to take a job at another; only to end up at a third.

This last January, my principal at my then-school told me that she would be switching me from teaching English to Social Studies for the coming year. I felt somewhat slighted but decided to take a positive attitude about reaching a new subject.

A few weeks after this, I was told she would conduct interviews for the position she had already promised to me – IN WRITING.

Two months after all that I learned that one of the other English teachers was leaving, “so there might be an opening there” at this point I had already started putting the feelers out at other schools. I had requested a transfer within my district since I knew that I no longer wanted to work for this principal even if I somehow stayed at my current school.

I made a brief stop at another school in the same district in September when I got a call from another district – this being my local school district and the one that I attended as a kid. I last applied for a position with this district 19 years ago and finally was able to get in.

LESSONS LEARNED: Loyalty is a one way street. People will cut you the moment they no longer feel they need you. Also, this served as a reminder that it may take years, even DECADES to get what you want. But every now and then, it happens.

Beginning my “ballpark chase” in earnest

For years, I’ve talked about wanting to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. For years, the only ones I had ever visited where ones where I was already traveling a decided to catch a game while I was in town.

This year I decided to start traveling simply for the sake of visiting a ballpark. I didn’t start until August; but this year, Kid 2 and I attended our first games in Pittsburgh and the lesser of the two parks in Chicago. These were quick, relatively spontaneous road trips that while I enjoyed, I wish I had planned out better. I suppose that will come with more experience though. And yes I’m already thinking about a few more trips for the coming season.

LESSON LEARNED: sometimes you just have to do something fun for yourself. It may seem stupid to others, but you just have to LIVE. I would have gone alone, but these were “Kid 2 weekends”. Having him there made it even better as we made some new memories together.

Enjoying being single

For years I defined myself by the relationships I was in, or not in. I thought that I had to be in a relationship in order to be happy and feel fulfilled. This past year, I’ve dates some people but nothing that ever lasted for more than month or two.

Something has changed within me. I don’t get the same rush from the start of a new relationship that I used to. I used to enjoy the whole “getting to know you and first date” part of the dating experience; but now it feels like a chore.

I noticed this after x2 and I ended. For a while I thought I was still hung up in her. When I did go on a date, I wasn’t thinking about her at all. It something just didn’t seem to be clicking with anyone. I wasn’t doing myself completely flipped for anybody; so I assumed something HAD to be wrong.

But one day, without even Covid it much thought, I realized that I was happy alone. I have my time with my kids and I also have my grown up time. More than that even, I was enjoying my alone time. And at the risk of tooting my own horn, it’s not like i can’t get a date. Moreso, I’m not such a lousy date that i cant get a second date with a person.

LESSONS LEARNED: I’ve reach a new level of confidence. I know what I bring to the table. Being single is not a death sentence. I have learned to enjoy my own company.

For the first time in a long time, I’m excited about the start of the new year. I have a handful of resolutions and I’ve already got started on one of them . I WILL TURN 50 IN THE COMING YEAR. At moments like this, I’m reminded of a line from the Aerosmith song “Amazing” when Steven Tyler sang “Life’s a journey, not a destination”. The rebuild never ends.

What are some positive events that have taken place in your life in the past year?

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. All of your views, likes and follows are greatly appreciated! Be sure to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts below…

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The article : “Lessons Learned” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.