At 18 most of us face many big decisions, brought on by the world and it’s expectations of us. Everyone has a unique way of reacting to this sudden rush of control that most are not used to having. Choosing a career path is something everyone does whether they make a move or not. Deciding against deciding is a decision in it self. Anyway, I consider a career choice to be on the same level as marriage.
As a bride-to-be one is faced with the hopeful prospects of building a life with who she knows (at the time) to be the one for her. She has spent some amount of time building a relationship, and it will never stop growing. She will spend a considerable amount of time (whether she continues to like it or not) with her significant other, and if they decide to part ways, it will be dramatic, no matter how civil the separation is. Everything I just said can also be said about committing to a career.
My engagement to music education began late in my junior year of high school. It’s weird but it was kind of just a sudden moment full of emotion. I suddenly just knew without a doubt or deliberation that it was going to happen. To keep my analogy going, I had just gotten engaged to a total stranger at best. Being in band at a high school with a mediocre music program does not mean you really know the profession. I did know something….I had the example of only a very few music educators because I lived in the sticks and I just had never been out. My band director was an awesome educator, and she elevated the program a lot in the very few years that she was there. If I had been through my high school a few years earlier I would have had even harder of a time getting started.
I really honestly knew nothing of what I was getting myself into, but I’m so glad I did. The more I learn, the more I love. The more I teach, the more I yearn for the degree that will seal the deal making us eternally intertwined and me more qualified to do my thang. The more I work, the more I know that nothing worth getting is easy to get, and that the fun is in the struggle. So yeah, I’m getting hitched you guys! The date is set for sometime in June 2013 (We pushed the date back a little because we think we need another year to get to know each other…)
Are you engaged to an idea, being casual with a few or flirting with the prospects?
Peace and Love!
