From Ohio to Jackson Hole, Wyoming - Slice of Life Challenge

I was particularly moved by Julie's haiku about paths untaken.  It made me think of paths I have taken, which is what this post reflects.  For those of you who have heard my story before, thanks for understanding that Julie's post made me need to tell it one more time.  And I really enjoyed trying poetry yesterday, so I might switch to that format partway through this slice.

I graduated from Miami University in 1977 with two degrees in education; one was for teaching elementary grades 1 - 8 and the other was for teaching LD/BD (the acronyms back then stood for learning disabilities/behavior disorders).

My graduation coincided with the passing of the national PL 94-142, otherwise known as IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act).  School districts were scrambling to comply with this new federal law, so a person with my degrees was in high demand.  I actually got my first job in the same district where I student taught.  I was put into a closet of a room where the only identifying qualifications to get there was a student must not be learning or behaving in their current environment.  No documentation necessary (wow, have have times changed!).

I'm sure you can imagine which students teachers in my new middle school wanted to "unload" into my oh-so-tiny broom closet classroom.  We had no space to separate behaviors or learning issues, and there were plenty of both.  It was a very tough situation and I didn't have the tools or the maturity to handle the situation I was given.  After many difficult issues throughout my first year of teaching, I realized that teaching was not the life path I was meant to take. 

So, based on very little information gathering, I decided to resign from teaching, take my paltry retirement fund (where was my financial advisor with that decision?!!), and move to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  I packed my bright yellow Buick Skylark with all my worldly possessions (there weren't many) and headed out west.

Jackson Hole Bound

Was going to live in Steamboat Springs

with a friend

but she decided her life challenge

would be to work on her relationship with

boyfriend in dental school

Might have hindered a typical person

but not me

still packed my car and headed out on I-80

to Jackson Hole instead

much to my parents' chagrin

They had just paid for 

four and a half years of college

what was i thinking??

nothing more certain in life than

a 20-something who is sure 

she knows best

Interesting choice

Lots of "didn'ts":

didn't have a job

didn't have a place to live

didn't know anyone there

didn't know how to ski

but I was sure this

was perfect decision for me

Even got sidetracked on first attempt westward

ran a red light outside of Chicago

totaled the other car

major damage to my own

luckily all individuals weren't hurt

Some people might have seen this incident

as a sign to change minds

but did that stop me

oh no!

Just a bump in the road

had to come back and live with my parents

until the car could be fixed

more opportunities to hear 

why this was the wrong choice for me

still left two weeks later.

Finally arrived in Jackson Hole

two days later

one of my first memories

the antler arches in the middle of town

Several "dids" happened that first day:

did find a job

did find a place to live

did find a roommate to share expenses 

(knew at least one person now)

Still didn't know how to ski

I may come back and revisit this piece later.  But sometimes the "getting there" is the hardest part.  Thanks for sharing my story with me.

As always, thanks to Stacey and Ruth at Two Writing Teachers for hosting the Slice of Life Challenge!