I didn't know Coach Williams long but he made a big impact on my life ~ I had a plan for my life that kept getting derailed over and over so I filled my life with helping everyone else while waiting for my turn. Then an opportunity came my way that would let me combine EVERYTHING I've ever learned, worked for or done practically through my entire adult life. No way could I say no - but it was also scary because the risks were immense. Not long after accepting I began to have cold feet because I worried I wouldn't be good enough and I'd go down in flames - PUBLICLY Coach and I talked. He was the kind of guy you'd find yourself pouring out to without realizing it. He said he'd never allow me to stay if he thought I was going to go down in flames - there were too many important people who didn't need my flames burning them. I decided maybe I had made the right choice initially. Then a rough day came - I couldn't tell him yet but my mother-in-law had been diagnosed with covid and hospitalized on top of a bad day - it was a lot to hit all at once. We stood outside, in the quiet, with no one around so I could cry and talk - our last big, deep conversation though I wouldn't know it then. He told me the job could be rough. There would be bad days. Days I might think about walking away. Days I would think I had failed even when I hadn't because I put so much pressure on myself. But there would also be great days. Days I would love my job and know I had made a difference. Ultimately it’s an incredibly important job he knew I could do and if I stayed he'd help get my life goals back on track - he'd mentor me since I haven't had someone in my career corner after losing Christine. I needed to suck it up, brush off the tears and get back to work. He was the only person on the planet who could talk to me like this and make me want to fight back instead of being offended lol. I never got the chance to tell him I "sucked it up". I've had rough days. Days I wondered if I had failed my people, my chosen family but I kept returning because he's right. It's an important job. Everyday I choose to #belikecoach #irish #irishmammies #irishmom #teacher #mentalhealth https://www.instagram.com/p/CUz-Z7cAkkJ/?utm_medium=tumblr