Contentment, Part One

Lately I have been learning contentment, mainly in three ways.

The first is contentment with where I am geographically.

I currently live in Central Virginia and am not a fan. Most of all, I miss my family. I miss my dear friends. I miss the city lights that were a mere hour drive away. I miss bike rides with my Mom and I miss my dog.

Back in March, I decided to move to Virginia because of an incredible job opportunity and while I am not a fan of my location, I am trying to learn contentment. I am here for a reason: the known reason is because of work. I was offered a job at a University that pays for my education. It was a hard decision to move away from my family and friends, but with the support and encouragement from those who know me best, I decided it would be foolish to give up such an opportunity. I also knew, deep down, that if I didn't take full advantage of this opportunity, I would regret it in 10 years.

At the time of the move, I was living in the "here and now." I wasn't actively thinking about the future. The move and this job has encouraged me to not only think of the future, but prepare for the future now.

Here are some of my goals:

1. Begin chipping away at my Masters degree. My job will pay for 6 classes a year. It will take me 2 years to finish my degree, if I decide to stay at my current job.

2. In the Spring, I will begin looking for another job- ideally at another university in the DC, Philly or Wilmington area. This will put me a mere 1-2 hour drive from my family.

3. While I'm waiting to begin applying for a new job, I will take full advantage of the learning experience I have been given now. I will work hard and develop my professional skills. There is no better time than now for hands on experience. I have been blessed with an incredible boss who previously worked for Coca-Cola. From day 1, he has offered coaching for his employees; he coaches and pushes them into fields that encourage professional development. You really can't ask for a better boss.

4. I plan to take advantage of where I live now. It's not ideal, but I'm here... and will be here for at least 6-ish more months. Instead of escaping every weekend, my roommate and I have been enjoying getting to know our area... researching culture-rich festivals and activities. The Fall is a perfect time for this, which will carry right over to Holiday parties and festivities. Before I know it, it'll be time to start job searching... and perhaps one day I'll miss this town and this time in my life. Why not make the most of it while I'm here now?

I have 2 more areas that I'm learning to be content:

1. my body and body image

2. love

I'll be writing about BOTH of these in future posts.

For tonight, I'll leave you with an Audrey quote to ponder:

{A quality education has the power to transform societies in a single generation, provide children with the protection they need from the hazards of poverty, labor exploitation and disease, and given them the knowledge, skills and confidence to reach their full potential} AH