Finding My Niche Part 2

Please read "Finding My Niche Part 1" here before reading this post.

I left you at the end of 2017 and the end of my first school year as a math teacher. That summer was very relaxed. A large part of it was spent playing PokemonGo which had come out the previous summer. In a nut shell, PokemonGo is an Augmented Reality (AR) game that you play on your phone. It requires you to physically move around in order to find Pokemon to catch. You can also go to "gyms" to get supplies or battle other Pokemon. These gyms are interesting places around town like historical markers, places of worship, murals, etc. Through this game my husband and I met a lot of people that I don't think we would have met anywhere else. It was really easy to talk to other Pokemon players because I knew that they wouldn't make fun of me. I mean, come on. We are all in our late 20's or older (often much older!) and we are playing a game that is aimed toward children and people who want a hefty dose of nostalgia. We are nerds. We are proud of our nerdiness. I still was afraid to actually take that step and invite people to our house for dinner but I at least now had people I call my friends.

My husband and I also went on a roadtrip from Texas to California with a nice stop in southern Arizona to visit family. I cannot tell you how refreshing it was to see my parents, my oldest sister, and some of my niblings (niblings is a more fun way to say nieces and nephews). I would definitely describe it as Furiously Happy.*

My husband and I did the tourist thing in Tombstone.

I didn't think to take photos with my family! Ah! But I did
catch this cute one of my sister and my niece.

We stopped to see London Bridge. Did you know that it's in Arizona‽

We both loved Sequoia National Park

Matthew hugged a redwood to ask forgiveness
for killing his brethren for school copies

Mid-hike at Sequoia National Park

Honestly, this is probably my favorite photo of me and my husband. It really shows our personalities. :D

At the end of the summer I learned about Bell County Comic Con through my PokemonGo friends. I had never been to any convention so I decided to volunteer to see if this would be something I liked. It was chaotic (it was the first Bell County Comic Con) but I loved it! I decided that weekend that I would definitely volunteer the next year.

The new school year started and I was so excited to teach Pre-Calculus along with Algebra I. I knew it would be difficult to teach Pre-Cal since our team was all new to the subject but I was ready for that change. That school year had some big problems but it was definitely better than the year before. I made a conscious effort to get to know some of my co-workers and by the end of the year I had more friends! Again, I was afraid to invite them to my house because I worried that it would never be clean enough but now I had people who I saw on a regular basis and felt like I could be 100% me around. I even got to watch some of the World Cup with them!

At the beginning of this summer I learned about a program that my insurance covers called AbleTo. It's basically therapy over the phone. Since it was at no cost to me and I knew that I wanted improve myself I decided to give it a try. Oh my gosh, y'all. . . I'm so glad I tried it out! My therapist was fantastic. He gave me some great ideas on how to better handle anxiety and stress. I also had a personal coach who helped me actually invite two new friends (I met them through PokemonGo) to my house! AHHHHH! It's kind of funny because we had to reschedule and we ended up at their house but the point is that I finally pushed my comfort zone and I could not be happier that I did! Matthew and I went to their house, ate pizza, played Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle, and had a blast! (Hi, Jo and Liz!)

Then it came time for the 2nd year of Bell County Comic Con. This time Matthew decided to join me in volunteering. Well, we volunteered enough that we became part of the staff. We didn't get paid but we were trusted with more responsibility. Guess what a great side-effect of being part of the staff was? I made more friends! I know that I sound like a little kid but really, I cannot stress how big this has been for me. I have people that I get stupid happy to see and give them big ol' hugs.

Come on, how can you not love TMNT-Rex? 

I think I have finally found my niche. I still love my friends who now live all over Texas, all over the US, and even some who live all over the world. But now I also have friends who live around the corner. It's such a wonderful feeling. My next goal: taking photos with my friends. Again, it sounds silly but I feel so awkward saying "Let's take a selfie!" So to all my friends, I love taking photos with you! I might be too shy to suggest it but I'm never afraid to say yes to a photo op! :D

Before I go, a big shout out to Stephanie and all of my sister's friends in Austin! Y'all always made me feel like your friend and not just your friend's little sister. I expected you to be cordial to me but I did not expect such love from all of you.

With hugs and joy,
-Clare G. S.

P.S. - More good news! One of my friends from college is now teaching math at the same school where I teach math! We don't teach the same subjects but it's so nice to see him on a regular basis again. :D


*Go buy Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson. The only reason it's not my favorite book is because, I mean, Harry Potter. Do I need to say more?