WSET Level 1 & Done

Signing up for the WSET Level 1 Foundations Course took a lot of courage for me to “break out” from my life as purely Mommy. I was scared to put myself back into a course of study, to do something outside the realm of home & motherhood, feared failing (what if I actually suck at this!)…and to boot I battled with mommy guilt.

I knew rationally that’s it’s only a few hours a week, it’s a topic I LOVE, it’s a part of cultural studies (hello…use that Masters degree in French Cultural Studies for something!), that once I went it would be love at first sip. Despite all of this, I made excuses and put off going to wine school for eleven months! I have two small children at home who need me. We are going to move. We just moved. Summer is meant to be lazy. Back to school time is busy. On and on and on.

In November, I was out of excuses and could no longer hide from fear of failure and went online, signed-up and, more importantly, paid so I couldn’t back out. By the first class in December, I was SO EXCITED (!!!) to go. I arranged the babysitters for the month and happily walked out that door. It took me eleven months to face all that was internally keeping me from pursuing a true interest outside of the house, but once I did, there was no looking back.

I lucked out with a spirited, good-natured instructor we’ll call K who helped make the class enjoyable and educational. Over the course of three weeks, we learned the basics of wine types and styles, wine storage, how to serve wine, safe consumption, and some basic principles of food and wine pairing. The two hours passed so quickly. I would have happily stayed there for another two! I would come home and want to try out what I had learned over a new glass of wine I hadn’t tried before.

The weekend before the exam, I sat down and studied studiously and was actually proud to tell my kids, “Mommy can’t play right now. I am studying for my wine school.” My daughter not fully comprehending what wine school is, but knowing how mommy likes her wine was really happy for me and actually left me alone! This may be a first. I usually can’t even send one single email without interruption. Did they sense that mommy was really happy from what she was doing and took it seriously? I think so.

The three-week course and multiple-choice exam are behind me, and I am excited about continuing wine school in the New Year and Mommelier. I have learned that this small commitment does not take away from being the type of mom I envision for myself. To the contrary, I think it has added to the happiness in our house. Happy mommy, happy family.

I would love to hear from you. Have you ever battled your own inner angst to get the courage to do something that you knew you would love? Tell me your story!