Wednesday 27 November 2013

Day 27: Yes moments

Photo via weheartit

The moment I decided to become a teacher
I was a wild child in my youth, making the transition from geek girl to party animal at the age of eighteen and not really growing up much in the years following.  I lost more jobs than I can count, spent whole weekends at raves, got into huge amounts of debt, had all sorts of mental health crises, sent my parents grey with worry... in short, I was about as irresponsible as you can get.  And then, suddenly, I decided that teaching was for me.

I won't lie, a big factor in my becoming a teacher was the fact that the financial incentives were great at the time: tax-free training bursary, a Golden Hello payment, and the government would pay off my student loans if I found a job by the deadline (and with four years of uni and £18,000+ loans, that was not to be sniffed at).  The other thing that convinced me was the TV programme Teachers, which made it seem as if teaching was one big doss and you got to go to the pub every night. 

Not the most auspicious start to a glittering career in teaching, I'll admit.  But, to the utmost surprise of everyone, it turned out I was really rather good at it. 

I aced my PGCE, working my arse off (for the first time in years) on my assignments and doing well in both placements.  I was offered a job at my first placement school and started teaching full-time in August 2005.

And the late nights, the constant partying, the inability to hold down a job?  Turned out, all I'd needed was a bit of time to grow up and the chance to take on some responsibility.  Teaching turned my life around; turned me from a dissolute youth to someone with control over things.  It was the best "yes moment" I ever had.

The moment my mum told me to buy a house
I'd always loved whiling away hours on Right Move, but I never thought that house ownership was within my reach.  And then my mum came to visit and, during dinner, said, "You should buy a house."  Now my mum almost never tells me what to do (even during the aforementioned wild child years, she largely kept her nose out of my business), so when she said this I sat up and took notice.

I'd seen the house that became mine during one of my mid-Location Location Location Right Move browses and, when my mum put the idea into my head it was the first thing I thought of.  So I arranged to look round a couple of days later: my first ever house viewing.  Within minutes of walking in, I knew I'd found my home and after that, things just fell into place.  Both my mum and dad were very generous about lending me enough for a desposit, I found a mortgage offer quickly despite the credit crunch, and two months later I had my keys!  That was five years ago this week and I have never regretted it for a moment.

The moment I got on the bus instead of going home
It's October 29th 2012.  I have a first date with a guy I've 'met' on Ok Cupid.  I feel sick with nerves and utterly reluctant to leave the warmth and comfort of my home to strike out into the unknown.  I hate meeting people and the last few internet dates I've been on have been disasters, so this seems like a terrible idea.  Why don't I just turn around and go home?

But the bus arrived, and I got on it, and I went to the pub, and met the boy I'd been chatting with online, and he turned out to be The Boy.  He'll be moving in with me soon.

6 comments:

  1. Love all your yes moments. Thanks for sharing.
    Claire xx
    http://somewhereyonder.blogspot.co.uk/

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  2. I really love this post - I genuinely struggle thinking of any yes moments of my own but really want to now!

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  3. These are lovely, so happy for you being so happy!
    Similar life turning events for me would be the moment I decided, eventually with some irony, that my job was to far from home and I should apply for something in Wigston to reduce the commute; that nothing ventured would without doubt lead to nothing gained and that I should stop simply looking at that girl's profile and just message her, get the rejection over with (she is now my wife); and on a related note the decision a couple of years prior to the fateful message to be a gentleman and swap my former fiancée's SIM card into her new phone for her. Had I not done the swap personally I would never have found out she was cheating and would not have been single at just the right time.

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  4. Thanks all :) Sometimes I look around at the life I have now and wonder how the hell I got so lucky. Thinking of these 'yes moments' reminded me how I came by my great job, lovely house and gorgeous boy.

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  5. This is one evidence of “mothers know best”, right? You're lucky to have generous and supporting parents who still give their deposits for the down payment. I'm pretty sure your parents are so proud of you. How's your house now? I do hope you're maintaining it properly. :)

    Scott @ ScottSauer.ca

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  6. Those Yes Moments are AMAZING!

    I love that you are willing to change course and follow instincts, even if you didn't realise it at the time.

    Good for you!

    I'm so happy for you.
    x

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