Inspiring the Future
You never know where life is going to take you
Neck Pillow Zoro
This is Zoro as a kitten, snuggled up in one of my neck pillows
…Time for this week’s story…
Inspiring the Future
It was a beautiful spring day when Sean lost his job. The economy being what it was, Sean had expected it. In fact, by the end of the week he realized it was coming, he was let go. He had been searching for work, but now he needed something quickly.
At the age of forty-eight and with technology moving as quickly as it was, Sean hoped he could work a few more years and retire. It was not a great time for the economy to be tanking. Over the months, his bank account was drained. He got interviews, but no job. He looked for anything he could, but found only dead ends.
One listing requiring no experience caught his attention. It had some specific requirements, but they weren’t an issue. Sean was one month away from having no money, and this was better than most other options. They offered a place to live with free food. In fact, one of their requirements was that applicants live on a compound for a year of training. If it weren’t for his financial situation, that may have been a problem, but now it was a guarantee of food and shelter while he built himself back up.
Meant for those in need of help, they offered to provide anything applicants needed. The only thing that made Sean nervous was that it was for a teaching position and he had never taught before. Then he saw a line by itself between paragraphs which said, ‘Become the teacher who inspired you.’
Sean was reminded of his third grade teacher, Mr. Studebaker. He was fun, and would talk about how he imagined the future to be. Many of his predictions had come true. In addition to sparking Sean’s imagination, Mr. Studebaker also encouraged Sean and the other kids to chase their dreams. Even though Sean’s dreams hadn’t worked out so well, he felt it was important to encourage the youth.
Sean applied online and went for an interview a couple days later. A few days after that he was accepted into the program. He left his stuff with his brother and moved into the compound with the clothes on his back. In the first week, he ate better than he had in months, slept better than he had in years, and was surrounded by people who were actually there to help. For once, he didn’t feel the need to prove why he was there. Even the other people in the program were friendly and fun, with a shared delight of it all.
“This is what people did before the digital age. I know most of you remember,” said one of the administrators at the compound while they hung out. “Getting into the headspace of your mentors is an important part of finding and embracing what made them so great.”
“My favorite teacher used to love M*A*S*H. I thought it was boring,” Sean said.
The administrator loved Sean’s comment, and so they made all the classic shows available on the local server. They brought in classic clothes and had regular 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s nights. Learning how to teach turned out to be a lot more fun than any of them had expected.
One night during a mock teacher’s conference, Sean met a beautiful woman only two years younger than him named Nancy. They laughed and joked and carried on like old friends. Their chemistry was so intense they became the center of everyone’s attention.
Sean and Nancy met for lunch the next day, and then dinner. Every day for months they hung out. The youthful energy of love made every day a joy. When they learned that one of the administrators there could officiate a wedding, they decided they did not want to wait until the program concluded. Strangely, they couldn't think of any family members to invite. They were wed in the scenic courtyard surrounded by their friends from the compound. A few months away from completing the program, they became roommates.
Administration made sure they would be together when they left the compound and re-entered the workforce. When the program closed they were relocated into new residences. Sean and Nancy were dropped off at a house and given instructions on getting to their first job the next day. The instructions also noted that a vehicle would be dropped off in the morning for them to use.
In the fun and nostalgic nature of the program, their closets were full of classic 80’s clothing. The appliances at the house were a bit old, but it was free housing, so they weren’t complaining. Sean and Nancy ordered pizza and watched M*A*S*H. They went to bed excited for the future.
The next morning they awoke to chirping birds and a buzzing alarm. They made coffee and grabbed the car keys on their way out. Sean drove Nancy to her school as if he’d driven the route a hundred times. Then, he navigated to their schools. Entering the office to check in, President Reagan was speaking on the television.
“Hi, Mr. Studbaker,” the staff greeted. He greeted them back, and grabbed some papers that were waiting for him then went to his class to prepare for the first day. When the rambunctious eight year olds arrived, he calmed everyone down and introduced himself.
“Hi, everyone. I’m Mr. Studebaker. I’ll be your teacher this year.” He taught the rest of the day like a seasoned professional. He continued teaching without missing a beat. One day he stopped to have a chat with a young boy named Sean wearing a Thundercats shirt. He encouraged Sean to follow his dreams, as he had with other children that year.
Sean and Nancy lived out their lives as Mr. And Mrs. Studebaker without realizing anything had happened. The memories from their lives before the compound were all but gone, and the longer they carried on, the further away they got until they were no more.