Where Have I Been?

It's been a minute since I've written. If you're new here, Hi! I'm Heather, Cancer Survivor, Mom of 4, Wife, Educator, Writer, Crocheter, Runner, you get the drill.

But it's been 5-ish years since I've attempted to write again on a regular basis. I was super burnt out from writing. I was writing regularly for an online news site and I was cranking out 20+ articles a month for more than a year. That might not be a lot to some, but for a woman who was coming out of cancer treatment, the fatigue was real.

So what have I been up to? A lot.

Before the birth of my second kiddo I was a middle school teacher. I stayed home for 16 years and had two more kiddos. I was a stay at home mom learning to find who I was outside of teaching. I volunteered a bunch at my kids' schools and for our local swim team.

As my youngest was beginning preschool, I was looking ahead to when she would start kindergarten and I would give writing a real chance. But you know the adage about making plans. Well, as I planning for a life where all of my children would be in school full-time and I would have uninterrupted hours to write, life kicked me in the butt, or um, in the chest.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2020 and then we went into lockdown, thanks Covid-19. Looking for any kind of normalcy I began writing. I wrote about cancer and raising kids. Then I poked around and started writing local news stories.

As we emerged from lockdown and I went into remission, I was presented with the opportunity to dip my toes back into teaching with a long-term substitute opportunity at the elementary school where my kids attended. And well, long story short, I have spent the last 5 years making my way back into a permanent position.

I forgot how much I love teaching. I love building community with my colleagues and students. I love being a part of something bigger. But that's pretty much in a nutshell. I fell back in love with teaching and I've spent the last 5 years trying to make a difference with my students.

What about you? Where have you been up to? What's new in the last 5 years? Let me know!