Falling into place...

I have a habit of making the best out of situations. It's a good habit that I am thankful to possess. The only problem is that I occasionally can't see the path to the lemonade and occasionally I don't trust that I'll get there and therefore stress about the not knowing. I almost always get there in one way or another and the older I get the more quickly I am able to see the upside of most things. I almost always end up with the lemonade despite having to jockey a bit to figure out how to squeeze the lemons. 

Almost four years ago I got laid off from a job I REALLY didn't like but it paid well. Panic mode set in but since then, with a few twists in the road, my professional life has slowly sintered into exactly what I want and need it to be (at least for now).

Yesterday I accepted a position with Southern New Hampshire University as an Academic Learning Coach for the innovative College for America program. This job allows me:

A) To keep my current job with the environment corps that I really enjoy and therefore maintain getting outside regularly, connecting with people etc. 

B) To work from home or anywhere in the world that I have phone and Internet access. (In my jammies if I want to!)

C) To take advantage of the benefit of attending graduate school at a discounted rate. 

D) To use my communication and counseling skills to help people move forward in life. 

E) To balance work and home life by giving me the opportunity to give up my on call job that I've done for nearly three years. Being on call means that I can't make plans, travel, entertain etc for 26 weeks (including weekends) per year when I'm on call in case the phone rings and I have to spend hours fixing the issues that have come up. Because of this job I've spent recitals, parades, holiday dinners, anniversaries, etc in my home office or the car while the event unfolds without me. (Thankfully I have a VERY patient husband and family!)

F) To spend more day light hours with our dogs as I'll have a two hour break between my morning job with the SEC and my afternoon job with SNHU. The dogs will be soooo happy!

G) To allow more time for myself at yoga or swimming or whatever else piques my interest because I've got a steady, reliable, pre-planned schedule!

H) To be part of the team that develops the model for online learning that is based on achieving competences rather than sitting through certain classes for a pre-set amount of time. The model launched in January 2013 and with support from President Obama, employers nationwide, and the forward-thinking of the SNHU system, it is continuing to grow exponentially. 

I) To finally be able to give my husband the worry-free thumbs up to purchase his dream car that he's been putting off buying since I was laid off. With my increased income we can still enjoy life AND meet our financial goals. Phew!

It's a home run for me right now. I am still not making the kind of money that I used to make but I'm comfortable where I am about to be and I will absolutely take peace of mind at work over a large pay check from some place I hate to go!