All of my life I have enjoyed helping people. So much so that I became a teacher. During my first nine years of teaching, I actually worked in two locations. I taught at a large public high school and at an alternative high school in another city in the evenings. Teaching was my life during those years. The students I met have changed me as a person. They are so funny and intelligent and never what I might have expected on first sight. I still teach. I am  currently in my eighteenth year of teaching. I no longer teach at the alternative school as the program was closed, and I currently teach in a wonderful public school in Washington.

A Little Background:

When my family and I first moved to Washington from Nebraska, I thought that I wanted to help people in other ways. I was burned out from teaching. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure I wanted to teach anymore. But I’ve always been a learner. Researching is one of my favorite hobbies. I found that I always had little tidbits of knowledge to pass along to my friends, and many of my friends, since I can remember, have talked to me about their concerns or sought advice from me. Helping them gave me such a sense of satisfiaction. I was making them happier just by listening and being there for them. This realization brought me to the conclusion that I needed to put this desire to help people in other ways to good use.

The Move to Washington:

Right before we moved to Washington state, I decided to become an NASM certified personal trainer. Being healthy and happy is very important to me as I had suffered from some strange health issues myself. I wasn’t always this way, but I’ve worked hard to improve myself and my life. There were times when I felt that nothing could go right for me. I believe the biggest reason I moved in the direction of  personal training is because I didn’t want anyone to ever feel the way that I felt. It has taken a long time to accept the fact that every day of my life is not going to be a great day; that’s just unrealistic. However, it is important to have the tools to be successful when life hands me those rough days.

I was able to put personal training and teaching to use. I did personal training and I taught PE and English at a private, non-profit school. The work was amazing. The hours were not so amazing and neither was the pay which created a new stress I’d never experienced before. Two and a half years later, I decided to go back into teaching at a public school which is where I currently teach today. The hours, again, are not so amazing, but the pay is significantly better (and so is the insurance). Truth be told, I was away from teaching in a public school long enough to miss it and appreciate being back. I still doing a little (very little) personal training on the side, but I love my students and the work I do.

What Is This Blog About?

When I began this blog several years ago, it was meant to be a way to help people find balance hence the name Mind, Body, and Soul. That doesn’t really seem appropriate anymore because it’s feels hypocritical to help you when I’m working on all of these things myself. I’ve decided to change the content of the blog to encompass more of my experiences of trying to find balance in my life. If you are a teacher reading this, you completely understand where I’m coming when I write that it’s a true struggle to find balance between work, home, and health when work always comes home. So I simply want to share my experiences, research, motivation, and ideas in the hopes that this blog might help you (and me) live a better life today than yesterday.