I’m super excited for today’s guest on “Living YOUR Happy Ever After” – Cicily! She’s a traveler, a teacher, a devoted single mom, and a dreamer, but she does it all with infectious joy and strength of spirit. You have to have a strong heart to be a teacher of students with special needs and a single parent, and Cicily sure does – I hope I can be even half the role model and good soul she is when I’m a parent. With that, meet Cicily:
living YOUR happy ever after – cicily
Cicily has done some pretty amazing stuff in the past year or so, including inspiring and raising funds for a special needs prom for her students, jetting off to Paris, running more than any human being should be able to survive, and doing it all with a smile despite the challenges life has thrown at her.
She has a spiritual view on her happy ever after. “Truthfully,” she says, “a long time ago, my formula for ‘happy ever after’ looked very different. I used to have ‘everything,’ and it took losing ‘everything to gain my ‘happy ever after.’ The other day, as I was driving in my car, it dawned on me – perhaps this is my happy ever after. I have a beautiful son, a career in which I am truly professionally satisfied (minus being a highly underpaid public school special needs teacher), I live in Hawaii, I get to travel, write, I am self-sufficient, I have wonderful family and friends, I have grown to really appreciate who I have become, and I am finally getting ‘IT.’” She’s found peace with the world in a better understanding of the blessings and opportunities around her. “I can honestly say I am ridiculously happy and incredibly grateful for the life God has planned for me. While it is not perfect, it is perfect for me and helping me grow.”
Cicily taking a cooking class in Rome {that scribbling sound is me putting this on my next 101 in 1001 list}
But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have dreams. One thing Cicily is planning on doing, as soon as her busy teaching schedule and graduate student schedule give her a break, is taking what she’s learned and writing a book to help others. She also hopes to teach at the college level. “Even if it is at nights at the local community college,” she says, “I love sharing my experience and knowledge with young people.” She’ll graduate at the end of the year. “I am happy because I set out on a dream that I never imagined many years ago.”
She also travels and drinks up every minute of the experience. “It truly makes me happy. I love that this world is so diverse and it is ours for the taking. I am just this simple kid who grew up in a little country town. Never did I imagine all the sights I have seen. Travel equates to pure happiness for me.” Does she have some big dreams there? You bet! “I am already planning a trip soon to London and Spain. It scares me, but I know by pushing myself, I will grow and be happier for it!”
Out of everything, though, it’s her son that makes her the happiest. “He is five and thinks he is Spider Man,” she says. “I love it! He reminds me to look at the world through the eyes of a little kid.”
A snapshot from Peter’s Prom, the special needs student Prom Cicily raised funds to hold
Cicily firmly believes that in order to be happy, you have to make the decision to be happy. “Happiness is a choice and you must pursue it,” she says. “Don’t leave it to someone else.” It also results from having the right perspective. “Downsizing my life has brought me happiness. Instead of stressing about finances and pay cuts, I decided to look at the opportunities in the moment. So last week, I bought a used car for cash and now all my money can go to the things that make me happy. I can save, travel, and have security. I laugh, because my car is not pretty, but I am so happy!”
When asked about her philosophy on happiness, Cicily says, “It cannot be bought. We create our own happiness through our actions. Whether it is booking a trip to Tuscany or choosing to be the real you, happiness is yours for the picking. Now go out and get it!”
You can follow Cicily’s adventures at her wonderful blog, Sweet Cicily, and on Twitter.
