How Big IS My Brave?

 We have some dear friends who, just this weekend, opened a little soda shop in a nearby town.  This is a franchise they bought into and plan on running it as a family.  We have been hearing about it almost since day one.  I have been intrigued.

We spoke with the franchise owners at our friend's soft open last night. They gave me directions to start the process, to at least get more information.

Could I own a little business myself? Could I run a business? Could I handle the stresses of getting something together to do this? It would definitely stretch me in ways I never have been before.  But I watched my parents run a successful business. I've managed small offices and departments. I know enough to either be dangerous or successful. I want to do something that will be small enough to manage and big enough to make us some retirement money.  I want to have opportunities to do things like cater a PTA Teacher's Conference at a local school, and give local high school kids a job in a good environment. I was something positive to be working toward when I get to St George.

This might be it. 

#52 Stories--Story #22

Do you remember what future career you dreamed of as a child? Are you stil following that dream? If not, what age did you find a new dream?

From about age ten on I wanted to be a photographer fro Life Magazine.  I loved to see the detail in all the photos from that publication.  I loved the idea of traveling to see new places and people and photograph them for the magazine. I pursued photography as a hobby for some years.  I was fairly decent but never committed enough to learn more than what I knew or used regularly to improve much.  That dream still sits in the back of my mind but it's potential has since died as my eyes have gotten increasingly bad as I have gotten older.

My other dream career was that of a classroom teacher.  Particularly a history teacher. I studied to teach high school history through college.  I did my student teaching at Mountain view High School in Orem, Utah in 1992.  But after interviewing all over the valley, I never got a contracted job teaching and ended up working at a dental lab--of all places--after graduation. However, through my PTA and volunteer work, I have substituted in my kids' schools over the years.  And now that they are gone from public school, I think about going back to teaching.  That dream is slowed by the idea of the increasing hoops and restrictions placed in the way for creative and innovative teaching by the "powers that be". I absolutely admire the teachers that do this year in and year out.  But I know too well how ridiculous the legislative requirements--yanking them one direction then the other year after year, as well as the incredibly invasive parental oversteps can interfere with actual teaching and creative learning.  Nope, I'll likely just go back to substituting at the local high school.

I do love teaching though, and currently get to practice that art in my Gospel Doctrine class at church.  I loved teaching int my callings in Young Women as well, but a regular teaching calling is terrific. 

When I Grow Up...

In light of our recent employment changes here on the circle, I have been reviewing just what I want to be when I grow up. Genius Golfer keeps telling me we are fine and I don't need to worry about that sort of thing, but as you know, I do worry and then I feel like I need to be responsible for all of us.

I have a bachelor's degree in history, with a teaching certificate that is still "mint in the package". I never got hired after graduation to teach under contract. Which is how I began my illustrious career at the dental lab from hell. But all that is over now and I feel no desire to go back to the lab or to teaching.

Not that I don't like being at the schools. I have been doing that as a volunteer for 9 years now. But if I go, I want to be there because I choose to be, not because I have to be. Does that make sense? I have had several people in those 9 years ask "Why don't you do this full time?" Simply answered, because I like to pick and choose the teachers I work for and help out, or I prefer to not deal with the general public that comes with public school students--meaning their parents!

But, you then ask rhetorically, don't you volunteer with the PTA? I do, but even there I am dealing mostly with parents who choose to be involved at school, and as a teacher you have to deal with all of them--the good, the bad, and the ugly.

So in light of the changes around here, I have been re-examining my career goals. GG asked me what I think I would like to do. I told him it was easier to tell you what I DON'T want to do. Here was my initial list:

Don't want to work with fast food--same requirement I had leaving HS, but more adamant now.
Don't want to work with the general public in a "everybody comes here" way.
Don't want to work in a place where I come home each day stinky or filthy dirty--that just makes more work for myself in the laundry arena.
Don't want to sell anything.
Don't' want to be in charge of teenage employees.
Don't' want to work weekends or evenings, if I can help it--since that would only add to the guilt of ditching my kids on others, albeit the kids are growing old enough to do more for themselves.

On the flip side of that list, I discovered that I do want to do:

Help people.
Keep learning.
Interact with others--just not the "look what the cat drug in" general public--more like coworkers.
Be able to do whatever I choose eventually for a while, like until GG makes the Senior Tour to golf, professionally--just joking.
I also thought I would like to do something within the medical field. I realise that I am too old to think of medical school, plus who wants to put yourself through that financially, but I think it would be and interesting field to look into.

So there you have it. The basics of my career placement interview. I'll let you know what I come up with here, but GG keep telling me there is no rush. I have news for him. The rush began twelve days ago and only intensifies as he seems to enjoy his "semi-retirement".