When I returned to the States last June, I felt pretty darn confident that my teaching days were over. I gave away my teaching materials. I unsubscribed from all the educational websites and bloggers that used to fill my email inbox. I stopped scrolling through twitter for new classroom ideas.

I leapt into the horse world with a dream of starting my own business. Since I last owned a horse a million years ago, the equine bodywork industry has exploded. Your horse is in pain? Here are some options: massage, acupuncture, acupressure, pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF), cold laser therapy, stretching, orthobionomy, myofascial release, kinesiology taping, electrical muscle stimulation … and more!

In my dream, I owned a cute little truck with some splashy promotional design on the side and all my fancy equipment in the back. I would drive around to farms, providing therapies for hurting horses.

This dream is not unique to me. In fact, the market is arguably saturated here in the “Horse Capital of the World,” and I’ve met several people doing what I had planned to do. It only took a couple of observations with such people to realize I’m just not up for the challenge.

Before you jump to my defense, I know I’m a smart and savvy risk-taker. It’s just that I’m also old and tired. OK, I’m not THAT old. But I’m old enough that the thought of starting over in a whole new career with a very steep learning curve and the potential for a massive debt load feels a bit overwhelming.

One of the bodywork practitioners I met admitted investing more than $40,000 in her equipment – for just one bodywork modality. She also explained that you have to get certified in each field of treatment, which would take years and more money. (One of my classmates said, “I know a girl who started this right out of high school. Her dad bought all the equipment for her graduation present.” Must be nice.)

In addition to the price tag and the time required to achieve this dream, there’s no denying the need for a high level of scientific expertise. As I study the horse’s musculoskeletal system, including origin and insertion points of major muscles, acupressure meridians, and joint physiology, I am truly fascinated and often call friends and family members to share fun facts. However, there’s a niggling little voice in the back of my mind, pointing out, “You’d better understand how to apply all this science, or you’ll mess up someone’s horse!” That’s a lot of pressure.

I’ve had a few other epiphanies in the last few months: It took me 21 years to become an expert at teaching English as an Additional Language, and I like being an expert. Also, I still love learning about teaching EAL. Lately, I’ve been resubscribing to teaching websites and researching how to use the new AI tools with students. Moreover, I miss the international lifestyle, traveling to exotic locations, hanging out with people from all over the world, navigating a foreign language, and all the trappings of teaching abroad. Also, it’s no fun to be broke.

So … plot twist!

I’m heading to Bangkok in July to teach EAL at Ruamruadee International School.

When the opportunity arose, I just couldn’t resist! We visited Thailand many times during our years in Asia. In fact, we used to ride our bikes to Thailand on the weekends when we lived in Laos. I’m feeling pretty psyched about moving back to that part of the world.

Tony works at another school way across the city, so we’ll continue to live apart. But at least we’ll be able to see each other on the weekends and enjoy phone calls without worrying about the time difference. (This could be the secret to a happy marriage!)

I can’t overstate how much this gap year has meant to me. I feel so lucky to have income from my rental house plus a little help from my Bangkok sugar daddy (em, I’m talking about Tony), which allowed me to take a break from real life. Still, I’m ready to jump back in.

In the meantime, I just finished all my final exams to earn an Associate’s Degree in Equine Studies from the College of Central Florida, and I’ve moved to our house in The Villages, Florida. Tony will arrive in mid-June for his summer break, and we’ll head to Thailand together at the end of July to kick off another adventure. Stay tuned for tales from the Land of Smiles.