Time’s a wait’n

How exciting it is to start a new journey in life, especially when it’s pretty unexpected? Of course there are nerves and a bunch of mixed emotions, but right now, all I feel is excited. Why, do you ask, that I am so excited? Because I am going away to college (well hopefully, I just have to get accepted first).

Three years ago, my plans after high school were to go after my dream job. I was going to go to school for eight to ten years and become a psychiatric nurse practitioner, making about $100,000 to $120,000. I was going to work in the psych ward of a hospital and help severely ill psychiatric patients. I was so excited to have this job! Then my dream came crashing down on me when the Covid vaccination mandates came into effect. I knew that I could never do my dream job in Maine but I was not ready to move out of state, and possibly never be able to come back. I decided that I was going to go to college to become a counselor instead and work for a private practice. Once again this plan came crashing down on me when I found out that Maine college’s required the Covid vaccinations. 

I was devastated not knowing what I was going to do. I knew I was going to have to work a job that I hate and make barely enough money to get by because of this vaccination. Then shined a little glimmer of hope. Kids! I love kids, so why not work with them? I signed up for the Lewiston Regional Technical Center – Early Childhood Education program. Very quickly I learned this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I decided that I was going to work at a daycare or be an assistant preschool teacher. I wouldn’t be making a lot of money, but at least I’d be happy. 

Then one Thursday night, I started talking to my manager while at work about my post-high school plans. We got to talking and she started telling me about other options I had for college, including going out of state. I had never thought about going out of state because my mom is a single mom and I knew there was no way I could afford it by myself. I went back and forth for a few days debating whether or not this was the right decision. I knew that getting my teaching degree would be so much better than just working at a daycare, but I didn’t want to leave my pets. After an entire day of crying and my mom having to talk my anxiety about leaving my pets down, I realized that if I wanted to make something of myself, and not end up in the same situation as my father, going to college would be the best choice. 

Of course not knowing what was going to happen when my plans first came crashing down was scary. I wanted answers right away. But I wouldn’t get those answers for another three years. Those three years were definitely difficult not having a plan. But I knew that if I was patient, I would get the answers when the time was right. Being patient isn’t easy. For the entire three years, I felt like my head was going to explode from stress. But I knew that there was nothing I could do other than be patient until I got answers.

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