An Anniversary and a Job

August marks the beginning of my fifth year of living in Paonia. I came here in part seeking freedom from the grind, the should-s and the have to-s. I abandoned paying rent in favor of living in a tipi; a grocery budget for my garden, surrounding farms, and preserving our harvest; a job that demanded most of my time and energy for a creative collage of money-making activities. I found myself financially flexible and able to structure my time with things that I  wanted to do and learn. My list of have-to-s shrunk or disappeared all together. 

For the past two years I've been working with a homeschooling program in a part-time capacity. Well, school starts next week (Seriously!?!?). I've been putting together my curriculum for two English Lit classes, which is fun because it involves reading. In addition I took on a new position this year as a Resource Consultant, meaning I'll be mentoring ten home schooling students. I'm also taking a handful of them down to Costa Rica for two months this winter. This all adds up to something unexpected: I'm working full time. 

Yes, I am taking on a job that demands my time, limits my freedoms, requires commitment, and I'm pretty excited about it. Totally terrified as well, but catching up on the phone with my auntie she said that going into something a little scared is a good thing because it means challenge and growth are waiting.