Over the past year I have learned so much about myself. I used to think I was strong. I used to think I had it all together. Married to the love of my life. Mom to two girls. College graduate. Great career. I started two companies as a way to do more in my community. Family go to person. You need help with something? Call Dana and she'll fix it. But I stopped. Stopped cold. You see I experienced a series of huge life changes all in a short amount of time. Became a published author and bought a house all in February 2017. Such an exciting time in my life. A new income stream in addition to small time city fame. Interviews, radio, tv, appearances all over. It was a lot all in a short amount of time. On the family front we started doing small work on our house, but that stalled quickly. My career was in an upward swing while personally my family was drowning. The new home became a nightmare that we are still reeling from. Bad contractors, borrowing from the bank to finish repairs, more problems discovered each time we start work. More money needed, no end in sight. And on top of that it was hard to find people to rely on. In this wide network I had built there wasn't much consistent support. So I stopped. I stopped doing all the "extra" that had become so customary. Stopped the businesses. Stopped showing up to events. Stopped buying. Stopped expending energy. Stopped giving of myself. I put all of my focus into my family and our house. You know what? I started to feel a hell of alot better. More focused. I tend to be all over the place everyday. Focusing on a bunch of goals all at the same time, but when I stopped catering to everyone else I truly hoaned in on my purpose. My goals in this New Year are all family centered. Less outside time and more us time. More house fixing and marriage building and being a present mom and less everything else. I think there was a lesson in my crowded 2017 and that lesson was to focus on what I don't want to lose.
As a 12th grade teacher and counselor I like to give a positive perspective of our city's young people. During this season of gratitude I'd be remiss if I didn't take pride in the brilliance of our children, especially the older ones. With so much death and despair gaining news coverage we tend to forget the kids that are on the right track doing, the work to make themselves better. Each year our high school seniors spend the fall applying to colleges far and wide hoping for a chance to start a new journey in just a years time. With dreams of a career in engineering, medicine or even animal husbandry (yes this is a thing) they cast fear aside and shoot for their ultimate goals in spite of current circumstances. We often don't recognize the teens working long shifts at local stores after a full day of school just to have a sense of responsibility. The teens that sit up all night fretting over projects and assignments due the next day aren't always on our radar, but ...
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