flickr photo credits: (1) bionicteaching (2) bionicteaching (3) Serenae (4) bionicteaching (5) Choconancy1
Five Card Story: It Just May End Where it Began
a Five Card Flickr story by Kimberly Y created Jun 18 2023, 02:41:28 pm. Create a new one!
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My first vacation was in the Caribbean. I expected sand, sun, and the ocean, but I did not expect to find a branch office of the company I worked for at the time. There, under the palm trees, these corporate buildings lounged in bright colors, looking a bit more relaxed, yet, they were the same as in my home city. While I frolicked on the beach, inside those buildings were people working and this paradise was their home. I wondered what it would be like to work in paradise. Would every day feel a little like vacation or would the beauty of the ocean and sand fade into the background of the brightly colored buildings? Would I be more relaxed and therefore more effective at my job?
As I traveled back to the airport from my first vacation along the sunny highway, I pondered what my life might be like as I entered graduate school for hotel and restaurant management. Surely, I could find a balance between my love for food and wine and my love for business. Hotel school allowed me to travel for work to beautiful places and I learned that work in paradise is still work, but weekends in paradise are glorious! As I concluded my career in hospitality, I could see another passion emerging. I loved teaching and working in the academic environment that my new clients occupied so I took a leap into a new industry that would lead me to new, potentially more bucolic places.
My journey in academia has ultimately led me to a little town in Virginia where I have found the perfect mix of paradise and work. Here, I can lead facilitated sessions, team building exercises, and teach classes all while enjoying a wooded oasis where I can watch nature and enjoy the life that I have. I’ve answered the questions that I had all those years ago and while the answer was not found at the beach, it was still a yes. Yes, I can live in a place that feels like vacation every day and appreciate it for the beauty that it holds and yes, the beauty around me can fade if I forget to stop and take notice. I make a point to notice and I appreciate my surroundings and that makes the work that I do much more enjoyable.
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- It Just May End Where it Began by Kimberly Y
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flickr photo credits: (1) bionicteaching (2) bionicteaching (3) Serenae (4) bionicteaching (5) Choconancy1