Jewish Musings, Tuesday, September 13, 2016

[peachymom1]

What’s on your mind – how to make kugel? This week’s Torah reading? Life goals? Prayer? We are all engaged in weight loss/weight maintenance journeys and we are all Jewish or at least interested in Judaism. We like to eat, we like to discuss. It is our goal here to provide each other support on our journeys, to share experiences, to call on our rich cultural heritage and texts, and to help each other grow spiritually.

Some of us take weekly turns starting the thread:

Angelika
Beryl
Holly
Lee
Louise
Lynne
Peachy

[peachymom1]

Good morning! Today I’d like to skip ahead a bit to your high school graduation day. (If you didn’t graduate from high school, then the day you left school.) How did you feel about the future? Did you go to college, travel, get married, go to trade school, get a job? What options were open to you? What choices were closed to you and why (e.g., location, gender, parental expectation, finances, etc.)? If you
could have made any life or career choice you wanted to then, with no obstacles to hold you back, what would you have chosen to do?

My dream from childhood was to be a doctor. I read everything I could find in the library on the human body, and I was just fascinated by how things worked together, from cells to organs to systems, the whole megillah. I wanted to help people and cure diseases, and make life easier for people as they got sick or old. But even though Mom strongly encouraged education, I knew by high school that there was no way financially that I could ever go to medical school, even with scholarships and financial aid. I’m not sure I’m really a scientist anyway. But I did know I had a strong wish to help others. So I decided I wanted to be a teacher. But I had to leave home during high school and work as many hours as I could, and I wasn’t even sure I could go to college at all. I did manage to go to community college and then transfer to the university, but when I did get a teaching job, it wasn’t anything that I expected, and I ended up giving up on that career.

Now I’m an executive assistant and have worked in offices for over 20 years. I’m not curing people or teaching them languages, but I am taking good care of my VP and her directors. I’m not sorry for how things worked out; even though I’ve had my share of jerk bosses, I have a sweetheart of a boss now, and I like my job and my coworkers. I didn’t need a college education to do this job, but I’ve never been sorry I got a degree. The feeling of accomplishment when the Chancellor called out, “Graduates, turn your tassels!” has never been matched, and I know how much hard work and sacrifice went into that diploma.

What’s your story?

[brgmsn]

I always wanted to be a nurse. Always. Read Cherry Ames as a child, never thought of anything else. So when I graduated high school I went to nursing school. 3 years, 36 months, full time.Didn't set the world on fire, but I was also 17. Hated school, squeeked by. No degree. No college counselor ever told me that a college degree might be a good idea. But I was fine. Didn't need it. Worked and made good money. Worked off shifts when the kids were little so child care was at a minimum. But then I got laid off. I needed to redefine myself. I got a job in a school and needed that pesky 4 year degree, so back to school I went. I found a wonderful university here that focuses on returning adult students. There were 4 of us in college at once. I'll be paying that off till I die! Got my BSN, and it was the proudest day of my life. Until I realized I loved school so much as an adult learner, I wanted to continue. Got my MSN and now I am adjunct faculty at that same school. Definitely never thought I was smart enough to do that. But I was and did. I tell my students they are already smarter than I was since they're already going for their Plan B, when I had none.
Given a choice, looking back, I'd have done it sooner. But I didn't know I needed to.

[lee058]

Good morning everybody. Hope you are all well today.

As for looking back some more into the past: First, I wanted to be a teacher. Then, I wanted to be President. Then, I wanted to solve poverty, war and unhappiness around the world. Then, I suddenly realized that none of these had much to do with my personal happiness and I had no idea what would.

I graduated from HS a year early but made up for it by taking five years to graduate college. I had a very good job offer after college but threw it away because I wanted to "find myself." To make a long story short, I worked my way around the US, doing a lot of hitchhiking (I was stupid but very lucky). I visited most of the states, but spent most of the time in Washington State, New Mexico and Colorado. At some point, I realized that if I didn't settle down, the longer I waited the harder it would be. I also felt big differences between people who actually had property, a steady job, stability, etc., and those who didn't. I made some big changes in order to have more stability in my life. Some made me happier and some didn't, but I needed the changes.

More about all this another time.

Have a peaceful day, Lee

[gazelle18]

Sorry I don't have time for a long post, but we're out of town and have lots going on. (Not a bad thing!)

Short answer, is I wanted to be an investigative reporter ! When I couldn't get a job working at a newspaper, I ended up going to law school, and, well, that was that!

[savtele]

I remember HS graduation very well, one of the hottest days of 1967, & there we were in polyester gowns & caps. The largest graduating class of Grant HS up to that time, & we held it in the Memorial Coliseum. Back in those days, none of us would have dreamed of wearing shorts under that gown - dresses, nylons & heels were de rigeur.

I had a job waiting for me in a small hospital, where they trained me as an aide. I ended up working ER & surgery for a while. I was saving up money to go to college - but that never really happened for me. Got married at 19, we traveled around the Western USA for several years, finally settled down back home in OR. Through the years there were classes that I picked up here and there, but never worked toward a degree. When my marriage broke up I had to go to work in earnest to support my 3 children. My parents were a great help!

Sometimes I do wonder about myself. I never felt a great drive to accomplish any particular thing. No lofty goals, no great ambitions. That's ok, this is who I am.

As soon as I finish my coffee, I'm heading to the gym.

Have a good day ladies!

[hollygail]

[font faceNo time right now. I graduated from high school in three and a half years (January instead of June). Went immediately into college; graduated in 6 semesters and three summers (I was eager to get on with life, not stay a student for the rest of my life). Originally, I wanted to be a writer (so now I do some copyediting work). But I met DH#1 when I was a freshman, and he did writing more seriously than I did, and the old stereotypical crap I'd absorbed growing up came into play; I didn't want to "compete" with my man in his field (note: I beat the crap out of him the first (and, as it turned out, only) time we played chess, when he was a relatively good chess player according to him and I only dabbled in it...). I didn't really know what else I wanted to be. I landed a job after my BA and stayed in that field for 10 years... Then went to Europe, then landed another (unrelated) job for the next 10 years... Then moved here, another job (another field) for about 14 years, then another (in the same field as the most recent one, although on a much higher level), then when that company reorganized, my job was eliminated and I haven't worked full time since then. (For a while, I said I was semi-retired, but I finally gave that up...) Am incredibly happy teaching Judaics and preparing kids to become bnai mitzvah in three or four movements of Judaism. I have become knowledgeable enough that I can lead daily and Shabbat services (not mincha!) and have unfortunately led far too many shiva minyanim in the last 20ish years...

Must run. Mayor may not be back later; for sure I'll read even if I don't post again today."arial"][/font]

[firebird44]

I remember a little of my HS graduation. It was at a big old movie theatre in Jamaica, Queens. It was very nice--air conditioned and big enough to hold everybody's families. I knew I was going to college, because that's what all Jewish kids in my neighborhood did--I didn't know there was another option! I wanted to be a doctor. We were solidly middle class--I chose my college because they offered me a full scholarship. Then I changed my mind, and I decided I wanted to be a professor, and went to grad school on a fellowship. Then, after all, I went to med school, in a program with the National Health Service Corps--they paid for med school, and after my residency I worked in a clinic in an underserved area. After many meanderings, I'm back working at the same clinic, though in a different specialty. The clinic is now a designated Patient-Centered Medical Home, with six centers and multiple specialties. My kids are going to be professors. Life is funny.

[louise]

Sorry - very busy at work. Will try to write but will be late this evening.