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Life is scary.

It’s easy to stick with the familiar. To make a plan and just set yourself on that path without considering it much, even as values and situations are changing.

Then something picks up and chucks you off the path.

Pharmacy School

The plan was pharmacy school. I was going to go to college, get a biology degree, go to pharmacy school, get a job as a pharmacist, pay off my loans, and end up as a small town pharmacist with a small house on a few acres with a garden, chickens, and goats. I would be making enough money to support both myself and Will, so he could do whatever he wanted and was able to with his jewelry and the homestead.

I took and did well on my entrance exam. I completed my application and got my recommendations in early. I was invited to the 2nd interview day, and the earlier the interview day, the better your chance at getting in. Only one person from the first interview day didn’t get in! The interview went well, although I was aware of where my application was rather weak. I did love the school, even though I was struggling that semester so much I was worried if I could handle pharmacy school. But I stuck on the course, and knew that when I got my acceptance letter I would immediately say yes and it would be fine. I only applied to one school because I am getting married and the school in our area would have been my number one anyway.

Wait Listed

When I got my decision letter saying I had been placed on the ranked wait list, I cried quite a bit. I knew that this was an okay decision. There have been years that every person on the ranked list got into the school. But I still felt rejected, and I didn’t want to wait until May or June to know where my life was headed. I didn’t want to be the failure that didn’t get into professional school.

But maybe that’s okay…

I was now playing the waiting game, and my semester continued to get harder for me to handle. I took this deviation from the plan as a chance to reflect on what I really want in my life. I hadn’t done this is over 3 years. Since then my life goals have been changing, and my values certainly were changing. Would pharmacy really give me what I want? What I need?

I explored other options and looked into programs that would allow me to help people improve their health and reduce their dependence on medication. I got a few ideas, but nothing that truly turned me. Around this time I started to use essential oils on myself.

After a bit, I found out that Will, too, had been looking into what he wants for his life. The plan had been that he would stay at his job and work to support us while I was in school. Now, if I’m looking at not going to school, maybe we could do something for him. And he found something really cool.

School in Germany

Will is starting to feel stagnant at his work in a small jewelry store. He loves it there, but he feels that he has so much more to learn that he can’t while he is there. He has also always wanted to live in Germany, which happens to have some very good jewelry schools. You can see where this is going.

So we started to plan. We will be in Germany this summer, so he can visit the schools and take their practical exams. I fell madly in love with Germany when I was there in January, and am excited about the idea of living there. This weekend Will is completing his application for the 2015/2016 school year, giving us time to settle as a married couple and work on our German (he took 7 years in school and I’m a beginner) before picking up and moving to Europe.

A big question was money. I don’t want him to have to work while going to school full time, and I won’t be able to work until my German is better. We have substantial savings, but they aren’t enough. Luckily, I found essential oils, which will allow me to build up a residual income and continue to work when we move. Once again, we have a financial plan that helps us feel secure in our plans.

Who Knows

Now, maybe this plan will get derailed, too. We don’t know if he will get into jewelry school, and any number of other obstacles could come up. But the point is that we are both more excited and passionate about the next for years than we ever were about the original plan. And we would never have gotten to this point if we hadn’t been thrown off the original path and jolted into looking into where we really want to be in our lives.

We can’t know everything that will happen, but we have learned that we need to think critically about what we want, even if it is contrary to “the plan.” And because we have had to make all of these life choices, we have an adventure ahead of us that I cannot wait to embark on.

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