Hey, you! Just Go For It!

I am nearly 30, but I think I finally know what I want to be when I grow up.

For the past eight years or so, I have been studying American Sign Language, on my own and with friends. I forget exactly how I came to love ASL so much, but nevertheless, it is a language for which my passion seems endless. Even today, on a field trip with my second grade students to a local museum, I was teaching a few kids the manual alphabet on the bus to and from the museum. I love seeing kids discover different ways of expressing themselves, especially when they discover they can ‘speak without speaking.’

I wish I had known more about sign language when I was younger. ASL was never part of my world, even though my grandfather was hard of hearing. I watched him struggle communicate with the world, and often my family had to repeat things other people had said to him (very loudly) so that he could hear and understand. In his old age, my grandfather didn’t have much patience to learn new things, and I don’t know if ASL ever would have been particularly useful  to him as things were, but maybe in a different set of circumstances. Maybe if he had known more people who were Deaf or hard of hearing, if he had been exposed to the rich culture and language of the Deaf community, if he had just known sooner. Maybe some things would have been easier.

So, when I discovered ASL, it made me realize just how important accessibility of language is. I had taught kids how to communicate with each other for years, but this new way of facilitating communication was intriguing to me. I purchased books, watched youtube videos, even took informal online classes. I attended study groups, and became somewhat conversational in ASL over the course of several years.

About three years ago, I decided that however long it takes, I want to become an ASL interpreter, or be certified to communicate professionally in ASL, whatever the capacity or role. As it tends to do, life happened, and just as I was about to enroll in school, I was offered a job with a good salary (for my age and experience, anyway). I thought ‘the things we could do with the money- I could pay off more of my student loans! I could save up more! I could (insert whatever most people say when they’re presented with more money than they’re used to).’ I took the job. I ended up miserable after a year.

So I found my current job in 2016, and I’m decidedly less miserable, because teaching is much closer to my heart in terms of things I’m passionate about. However, this school year has been rough. I was diagnosed with a chronic illness in November, and I was told by medical professionals that it would not be in my best interest to continue commuting across state lines next school year.  Therefore, I sadly have to part ways with my school next year.

This is not a setback. This is an opportunity.

This summer, I will begin working towards my ASL certification. I intend to do whatever I need to (legally) do, and work wherever I need to (legally) work in order to finance my education without accruing any more debt.

I’m terrified  excited! I’m finally in a place where I’m ready to dedicate my focus to what I want from life. I’m finally ready to ignore the nay-sayers. I’m just going to do it.

So here’s my message to you; there will never be a good time to achieve what you want out of life. There will always be a setback, or something that looks like (or even is) a priority. All that means is  that you need to just go for it, if  your ‘it’ is important to you.  It sounds cliche, but ‘someday’ is not a day of the week, and it’s definitely not promised to you. “Maybe” and “dreams” also don’t mix well- kind of like toothpaste and orange juice.

I don’t have a set plan for this yet, but I’m working on it. I’ve registered for classes, and I’m saving up money, but I don’t know what I’ll be doing for work yet. However, that issue would have been something I’d have to deal with anyway, regardless of whether I go back to school or not. Not having a plan is scary, but for the first time ever, I didn’t let ‘not having a plan’ stop me from doing it altogether. And lo and behold, the plan is coming together.

Get out of your own way. No one can stop you as long as you don’t stop yourself.

You can do it. Whoever you are, I believe in you. 🙂

M