where wildly different is perfectly normal
About that twice-exceptional radio interview
About that twice-exceptional radio interview

About that twice-exceptional radio interview

about that twice-exceptional radio interviewSometimes I sits and thinks and sometimes I just sits. And sometimes I quits a job and sits wondering if I did the right thing and the universe responds with a big YES by throwing something in my lap so very unexpected and delightful that I can’t help but sit up and pay attention. Yes, this really happened.

Last month, on what was very likely the very worst day of 2014 (and I say that because there are not many hours left of this year and it’s sunny out and no premonitions of doom indicating that day in November will come in second), I had a bit of a nervous breakdown and quit my job. Many reasons, but one of them was that I could no longer balance my life in a healthy way. There were no open hours for emergencies or problems and something had to give. It was not an easy decision, but it had been coming for some time. Still, I berated myself for not being able to make it work, for not being superhuman enough to make it work. So I quit and went to bed. There’s a lesson here in self-care, I’m still learning it.

The next morning I woke to an email from a woman I met recently who is a fellow flutist and the producer of an online radio health show. She wanted to see if I were interested in playing trios and quartets with some of her students, and if I might also be interested in being interviewed for a episode on twice-exceptional children. Well. Hm. Let me see. Yes, and holy cow are you serious really of course YES!

The afternoon of flute music was something I hadn’t done since college and didn’t realize just how much I missed it.

The interview on the Radio Health Journal came out last week (the link goes to iTunes podcasts; the interview is dated 12/21/14, you may need to scroll down to find it). I was one of three participants, the other two being Dr. James Webb (founder of SENG) and Dr. Megan Foley Nicpon (of the Belin-Blank Center at the University of Iowa). I provided the parent perspective of twice-exceptional kids (and also that of a GHF Ambassador), and I’m still amazed my voice, my opinion, was the one shared, of all the parents of 2e kids out there. While I wish more of my comments about homeschooling made the cut, my bit about parents and the misconception that they’re bragging about their kids when talking to others is in there and makes me very happy. I was pleased with how the radio show came out. There’s always the chance that comments are misconstrued or a different tack is taken, but this was a great introduction to 2e kids from people who are living and breathing it. For the record, 2e in this house smells a lot like a kid who needs to shut up and get in the shower already before I have to fumigate the house. There’s only so much you can blame on the dog, dear sons.

Neither of these awesome opportunities would have been possible had I still been working. Door slammed, window flew open. And for a change, I was paying attention. I’m now looking around at some other windows to see if I can pry those open as well. I still want and need to work, but I’ve finally decided that I must be my own boss, or at the very least work on my own terms from my own house. Like a five year old who states in all seriousness that he’s going to be a fireman/doctor/veterinarian/superhero, I’m going to be a flutist/teacher/homeschooler/writer/something-to-do-with-gifted-kids-something-or-other. I think I have a better shot at it than that kid; at least I know you can’t have a cape while fighting fires.

So I’ll just sits and thinks here for a little bit and figure out how to get those windows open. There’s good stuff there on the other side.

3 Comments

  1. qH

    That is fabulous! So much joy in music, especially at your level of playing–and to tell an important story to a large audience: the universe chucked some good stuff at you!

    (And self-care: yes. One year I made it my goal to figure it out–my resolution–and it’s probably the only thing that got me through 2014.)

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