It's a Beautiful Day, Isn't It?

I had a wonderful weekend. Saturday I went to the art fair with Kristin's family to meet up with her. The weather was horrible, but I had a great time. Kristin and I ran into a girl we used to carpool with when we played soccer on a club team about an hour away. The funny thing is, we always saw this girl when we were together. Her parents drove us at the time and we saw them at the art fair too. What are the odds? It's not like I hang out with Kristin every day like I used to. I'm sure she doesn't travel with her parents as often as she used to. It was such a pleasant surprise to run into each other like old times. We didn't have much to say, but just the coincidence of it was great.

From there I went to my friend, Drew's to carpool to Jenn's wedding. We missed the wedding, because we were given the wrong outdoor location. It was incredibly depressing, but the beautiful reception made up for it. I wish I would have seen the wedding because John married them.  I hadn't seen her since Thanksgiving, and she looked absolutely beautiful--just glowing with happiness. At one point she said to us, "I'm so happy," and our table smiled, speechless. She responded, "It's sick, isn't it?"

I met with with a nun from Siena who has already published one anthology and is currently working on another. She helped me get my letter ready to send out to professors and advised me on the best way to go about sending it out. I have since sent out e-mails to over 30 Chairs of English departments all over the country, asking them to forward it to their English department. I have received several supportive responses, which is very exciting! A guy from NY said that he thinks it is  "ambitious and worthwhile," a woman from Alaska said she thought it was an "interesting" project, and a woman from Boston called it "vital." They all wished me luck. It has helped motivate me to continue working hard to look up addresses every day. It's a little monotonous, but it's cool to think of what may come of it. It makes me feel less guilty about not doing my own writing.

Last night I went to see a documentary at a Peace meeting. It was about nuns who go to prison for civil disobedience. It was well done, and there was a fantastic discussion that followed, which helped me to feel spiritually awake...even if only for the rest of the evening.

Speaking of awake, my job is incredibly draining. It's not physically draining. In fact, most people would think I have an easy job, because I work good hours and do not do manual labor. However, it is creatively, emotionally, and spiritually draining. I figure that is why I haven't been writing. I love the energy my job requires. I wish I had more energy to give, because I love the kids. I feel tired a lot, but every now and then they say something that wakes me up for a second to remember how lucky I am to be able to love and be loved by these kids. For example, yesterday this new boy, who is incredibly articulate, but very behind in school, was standing next to me with his hands in his jean pockets. He had on a plaid shirt and cowboy boots. It was recess; the other kids were playing. He looked around, then looked at me, and said, "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" I stifled a laugh, but failed to control my huge smile and said,  "It sure is." This kid uses his brilliant language skills to try to get out of working to learn anything else. For instance, I was asking him to do a task that would require him to practice shape names. He said, "How about I play with the dinosaurs instead?" like he is providing me with the options.  I have to test the kids on their first day to see how much they know at the start of school. I was quizzing him on the colors. As I held up the flash card with the black crayon on it, he said, "I said this over and over for like 20 years, but I can't remember." This kid is only five! I cracked up. It's hard to appreciate work when I'm so tired all of the time, but I really do love my job.