“Towering” Inspiration from Eiffel

I know that you’re probably thinking that the Sign Lady must be someone who sells advertising space for physical signs on  trucks, highways and other visible spots. Not quite! As the Sign Lady, I observe my personal symbols – also known as signs – in my everyday life in order to receive guidance, solace and empowerment from them. And so can you…

So now you’re asking: what’s a sign or personal symbol? (I will be using the words “signs” and “personal symbols” interchangeably in this blog.) They are everyday objects, animals, numbers and songs that symbolically mean something to you. Everyone’s signs are unique and personally tailored to you. That said, the following is an example of one of my sign stories to illustrate just how powerful personal symbols can be. (Now this is where the blog gets really good!)

I had been divorced for a few years, had two children, college tuition bills and was trying to support my family as a freelance family travel writer. As you might suspect, this wasn’t an easy financial place to be in! The stress of not getting a regular paycheck, having to pay my own health insurance and supporting a household was wearing me down. Eventually, someone I had met in a very random way suggested I go back to grad school to get the credits I needed to be a high school English teacher. I truly felt the thunderbolt of revelation hit me at that moment! Mind you, this was about two weeks before the school year was starting so I had a lot of ducks to get in a row to make this happen. 

However, this was a pretty risky move. The state department of education was going to take months to review my college transcript to advise how many more English credits I needed. And beyond that, how was I going to financially survive for at least a year until I hustled and got all the credits I needed for certification? And beyond that (can tell how my mind was spinning with “what ifs?”), what if I didn’t even like teaching after I jumped through all these hoops?

And this, my friends, is where the signs come in. Two days before classes started, I brought my college transcript to a local state university and got matriculated. But before I paid the big bill for graduate level courses, I was told to trot down the hall to the assistant dean to see if indeed there was any space in the upper level classes I needed. 

Now let me backtrack a minute. One of my signs since my divorce was the Eiffel Tower. Why the Eiffel Tower? When Gustave Eiffel wanted to build it, everyone said it was an eyesore and would not even physically be able to stand. In fact, originally the city of Paris was going to tear it down after the World’s Fair of 1889, for which it was built. Well, we all know that by following his gut, Eiffel created one of the world’s biggest attractions to this day. Thus, the Eiffel Tower is a personal symbol for me since it represents following your dreams and standing in your knowingness.

Okay, back to the assistant dean’s office. I was feeling such trepidation about this big, risky, life-changing decision at the age of 52. However, when I walked into the assistant dean’s office, it was covered with…you guessed it…images and statues of the Eiffel Tower! Instantly, I KNEW that I was making the right move to become a teacher since one of my personal symbols was all over every inch of wall space! I signed on the dotted line and began classes a few dates later.

And, as the saying goes, the rest is history. I am now entering my ninth year of teaching high school English to students who are mostly college-bound but need academic support to get there due to learning challenges. I have touched hundreds of students’ lives by giving them the confidence and the writing skills they need for college and their future careers.

If it hadn’t been for my belief in the unspoken guidance from my signs, none of this might have never occurred.    

For there is “no coincidence” when it comes to the wisdom that personal symbols can provide us all.