Oh WordPress, you know all the buttons to push!
At the end of June, we took a 13 day trip to Scotland and Ireland. We spent time in Edinburgh, Belfast, and Dublin. We spent a day, touring the Scottish Highlands on the “Hairy Coo” tours. We sampled excellent whisky and gin, tried new foods, learned that football (soccer) is such a passionate sport, and just enjoyed living life viewing a little bigger picture. One of the first questions that was asked of us, after, “Did you have a good time” was, “Were you ready to come home?”.
The answer, in union, was no.
This trip has really opened my eyes to life. I’ve always been the definition of “secure”. I spent 24 years in the same school district (this year is the start of Year 30). I’ve been married to my wife for 30 years. I don’t take risks, and if I do, they are small, manageable ones. When we moved out to our acreage, that was an “adventure” because suddenly, there was much more on our plates.
However, we’ve always found ourselves in different places. The trip we just took was a 30th wedding anniversary present to each other. We try to find something bigger to do every five years. We’ve gone to Niagara Falls, San Antonio, New Orleans, Charleston, and now this trip! As I was counting, I kept thinking I’d missed something. My wife reminded me that in 1999 (year 5) we were in the process of moving back to Iowa from Missouri, so we think it was St. Louis with our daughter. Whoo hoo, exciting times there! Each time we go, we find ourselves seeing parts of the city that most people don’t. We’ve hopped on public transit to get rental cars and find ourselves seeing a different side of the city (thank you San Antonio!). We find restaurants that no one else has ever heard of because we get off the beaten path (thank you to all the cities involved). We’ve tried different foods, enjoyed different music, and just seen a part of life in many areas that most won’t see. Why? Because we like the adventure.
And now that we are back, mowing the lawn doesn’t have the same appeal. Weeding the gardens, just doing the things that would bring me joy in the past, don’t bring as much. Now, there’s nothing wrong with getting out and laboring. I love that and always will. I’m reaching that age, where if I’m out in the heat too much, it takes a bit more to recover (I’m getting old!).
But I’ve always been secure.
Right now, I feel more like seeking adventure. I view my job as a means to an end. We work hard during the school year (learning Spanish with my old brain, is not easy), so why don’t we play hard too? I’ve spent way too long worrying about “next year”. Why? Now, don’t get me wrong, I love teaching. I always tell my students, that if I didn’t love what I did, I would be done, period. And that’s true. When I’m done, I will be done. I’ve had a friend who retired two years ago and is going back into the classroom this year. That will not be me. I’ll substitute teach for a while, but to just go back, nope. If things play out right, I’ll have 35 years in when that retirement day comes. I’ll have money so that, if my wife wants, she can retire with me (not as many years in, but stressful all the same).
Adventures come in all shapes and sizes!
Travel would be the “easiest” adventure. We went with a travel agent, so we didn’t have to think much, everything was planned out. If we wanted more of an adventure, we’d book everything ourselves. It would get us out into the local atmosphere where we’d be able to get into the “cool” stuff.
#andthereissomuchcoolstuff
Oh I know!
We also have talked in depth about our “F*ck It” plan. If we decide that teaching gets to the point where we’d rather be doing anything else, we’ve got the start of a plan where we could adventure and keep an income. Our plan is to either pull the camper or build out/purchase a camper van and live on the road for a while. We’d need several things to fall into place, but my wife has really hammered home about thinking not only outside the box but outside the factory where the box is made! She’s my freethinker, and I love her for her bravery.
#braveindeed
So, security or adventure, it will always be a delicate balance in my life. I hope you’ve been able to figure it out and can share your secrets with me! 🙂
The Life of a Conflicted Teacher 
August 27, 2024 at 11:45 pm
Happy Wedding Anniversary! What a wonderful way to celebrate it with a fulfilling adventure. Good for you to move from “secure life or adventures” to “secure life AND adventures.”
August 28, 2024 at 12:57 pm
Sometimes, we invest so much into that idea of being a rock, that we forget that we can roll from time to time! 🙂 That’s my hope, to find a little more roll!
August 28, 2024 at 11:19 am
Darin, what a great idea to continue to reflect on the joy of adventure in the midst of keeping the security. You will have both, and in my experience it just got better in retirement. I wonder how I ever had time to teach!
August 28, 2024 at 1:06 pm
That’s the statement I needed. Right now, my life seems so jammed up with teaching (new math curriculum this year, new ELA next year) that the “adventure” part seems so far off!
August 28, 2024 at 8:50 pm
I view my job as a means to an end. We work hard during the school year (learning Spanish with my old brain, is not easy), so why don’t we play hard too?
Yes! I love this, and I love that you’re finding so many ways to add in adventure. Congrats on taking your planned by someone else trip to Scotland and Ireland. Rest is SO important. Vacation is SO important. I’m so glad you were able to experience the re-create part of recreation.