Crying in Kroger

'Crying in Kroger.' Strange title for a blog. Sounds a little depressing, right? Well, don't quit reading just yet...I'm about to share some of my funniest life moments with you. Just one word of warning though. There will be quite a few stories that involve tears. Some from joy, some from grief, some from pure shock, but mostly just tears from the realization that this is life after college. This is everything your parents and teachers tried to warn you about that you either chose not to listen to, or, you really did have such a rose colored picture of what 'the future' would look like that you thought they were making it more dramatic than it really is. Well, 3 1/2 years removed from the 'best years of my life,' as most would call the college experience, I can honestly say that no one and nothing could have prepared me for life. I hope you enjoy as I reminisce some moments of adulthood.

'Crying in Kroger'

Date: the night before school started back after Christmas break my first year teaching

Where: frozen food section of the grocery

I'll just start out by saying that the beginning of my teaching career started out in abrupt fashion. I received a call the day before 'Meet the Teacher' night, telling me that they suddenly had to add a section and that my resume had come across their desk and would I like to do a phone interview. My response, "Well, would it be better if I just drive down to TX and interview in person?" I think that might have been the beginning of my career as a teacher. So note to anyone who is job searching, if they ask you to do a phone interview, offer to make the drive instead...what's a few dollars for gas in comparison to a steady paycheck, right? Anyway, after making sure my toenails were painted, I had a perfect pair of dangly earrings from a friend, a few hours in the car, and an interview, I was at the store buying a pair of khaki pants to meet my kids the next day! Praise God for His plan and faithfulness! (An ironic statement considering what follows, but trust me, it was absolutely His plan and the one that continues to shape me.)

And this brings us back to the frozen food section. Well, lets just say that the first semester of teaching, while I had some wonderful experiences and made some wonderful relationships, I also came face to face with reality of a world where most people are out for their own good, not yours and will do whatever they have to to make sure they get their way. Well, come Christmas break I finally had about 10 days to catch my breath and recover from the shock of this new world. But as I was pulling back into town after the break, I stopped at the local Kroger to get lunch for the week. And next thing you know, there I am, standing in the middle of the frozen food section bawling hysterically because I have to go back to school and face the world again. I know, I know, this is all very dramatic. But it was the first of many pep talks that went something like this: 'Yes, Hanna, you are an adult now. Put your big girl pants on, buy the chicken, buy the ice cream, and buy the kleenex and move on!'

Point of the story: If you find yourself in the middle of the grocery crying your eyes out and thinking 'this is ridiculous and I hope no one is watching,' you aren't alone in this world!