Blank Pages for a New Decade

Not only are we all closing out another decade this month, but I'm also wrapping up a chapter of my life as well.  My business - the educational clinic - is closing at the end of the week.

This clinic was a labour of love for my business partner and I, a collaborative effort that we knew would make an impact but not a lot of money.  That turned out to be prescient.  The clinic was a part-time commitment for us, one that satisfied our desire to help struggling learners and gave us an opportunity to explore the possibilities of transitioning into consulting work full-time.  Unfortunately, life had other plans, and so we made the difficult decision to close the business in the fall.

This means that I will be entering into 2020 officially unemployed.  I look forward to being able to dive into home learning with fewer distractions and more intention, but I will definitely miss having the challenge of paid, professional work.  I am thrilled to have more time to wear my "Mom" hat and share experiences with Little L, but at the same time, I am going to miss being a "professional."  It's always a double-edged sword, right?

So, "What's next?"  I'm asked that sometimes, but I don't really have an answer to give at this point.  I do have the incredible privilege of just staying home and being a mom, a luxury that few are afforded in today's world.  I can also go back to school and fulfill my former prof's prediction that I would eventually return for a graduate degree in Education.  There is also a potential opportunity for me to teach within a distributed learning (home learning) environment in the fall, which kind of merges both my educational consulting experience and my teaching chops.  Finally, I can offer consulting services on my own, which is what my clients are not-so-secretly hoping I will do.

The possibilities are actually endless, but unfortunately my time is not.  Right now, I just don't have a clear sense of where I need to be heading, so it would be foolish of me to fill my schedule just for the sake of filling it.  I think that making any commitments that might cost me time or money seem illogical at this juncture.

For now, then, I am unwritten, and my new chapter is just a bunch of blank pages waiting for some quality content.  I will just have to learn to be at peace with not knowing where my story is going, and enjoy the ride and this festive holiday season.