The OK Adventures of Peppersloth and Annie

As I’m sitting here listening to Skillet Radio on Pandora, and feeling like crap because I had guacamole for dinner, I am contemplating the fact that I am coming up on 12 weeks in Oklahoma. On top of that, I am transition into a new season. Adventure is out there!

After what felt like forever of going through interviews, and getting nowhere, I made the decision to quit Amazon and substitute teach for the 2020-2021 school year. I have four districts that I am set up to substitute teach with. OKC is implementing virtual subbing…I get to teach in my PJs! I am, obviously, super pumped about that! All of the districts are different from each other, which means I will get a variety of experiences with each of them. Which is good! As my mother said, I will know if this is really what I want to do with my life!

Speaking of the woman who has been wrong one time in my life time…She came to visit me! We had a wonderful few days together! Our ideas of a vacation are very different. I like to relax and do as little as possible. She takes after her mother and likes to be busy. I know, it’s weird! But it is who they are, and I love them for it! We went to the OKC Zoo, the Cowboy Museum, and the Osteology Museum. All were very cool! The zoo was probably my favorite. We also had downtime at the apartment, where we just sat and read. It was really nice to see my mom relax. She is a superhero. She raised, and homeschooled, five children. She has been married to my dad for 35 years. And she truly embodies Psalm 31…there is NOTHING she can’t, or won’t, accomplish. If anyone in the world deserves a real break, it’s her. I’m not crying, you’re crying!

Having my mom here was great, but it also reminded me of how lonely I am. Partly because of my Amazon work schedule, and partly because I don’t like most people, I have met very few people in Oklahoma. While it has made my trips home wonderful, it has made the time here a little bit harder. I have no regrets about the move! I would have done it sooner, if I could have! I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is where I need to be. And, while I love my family and the few friends I left behind, there was nothing left for me in Ohio. There really was no choice, except to move. But now it’s time to actually start building a life. And that includes making friends! It’s part of the ‘OK’ process, I guess…

In regards to the ‘OK’ process…it proceeds! At this point, I have lost about 40 lbs. It’s honestly weird. I like it, but it’s weird. My favorite jeans won’t stay up anymore. It has also given me a slight case of paranoia. Will eating guacamole for dinner once cause me to gain back everything I lost? What about the popcorn I had last night? Did I exercise enough today? Maybe I should have walked for an hour, instead of 30 minutes. Maybe I should have done one more push-up… At the end of the day, I know it’s about consistently making the healthy choices, and that paranoia is not helpful (please see the paranoid state our world has gotten to for a good example)!

I have done more decorating in the apartment. And the car is empty! I have two bags, and one box still to put away. And I have a BOUCH! It’s an air mattress that I put in the living room, and it serves as a couch or a bed…A Bouch! I’m considering more furniture, but I have no idea what next year will look like. And I don’t want to have to go through downsizing again! So, low maintenance/bare minimum for now!

I did go to church this past Sunday. It is only the second time I’ve been since I’ve been in OK. Honestly, it just made me miss Church in the Wild more than I usually do. In fairness, I have gone to small church plants since 2012, and Life.Church is bigger than all of the church plants I’ve been to combined! It is a bit of a church culture shock. But I know once I start meeting with a small group, I’ll be fine. Zoom small groups just are not the same though. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but stupid social distancing!

Becoming OK is a process. It is absolutely not going as quickly as I thought it would. Honestly, I was really hoping there was a magic switch in OK that would magically make me OK. I am sad to report, there is not. It is work…a lot of work. I did the physical work at Amazon, and I think that has prepared me for the emotional work that I know is the next step. It’s not going to be pretty…but it will be OK.