strugglin

Today started with another first-thing phone chat with Carolina, house phone to house phone. I'm lucky to have friends who are thoughtful and smart and humble.

Next, an email from David that made me simultaneously fired up and heart-full and weepy. I'm lucky to have friends who are honest and reach out and take big risks (and encourage me to, too).

At work, I made some big strides at one of my elementary schools and felt really proud when the Principal trusted his own (new) wisdom about how to engage his school community in an effective way. I'm lucky to have a job where I get to feel peoples' hard work for kids and be a strategic thinker and laugh really really hard.

At the next school, I helped my 8th grade history teacher reformat something in Excel and earned an invitation to his retirement party. Another man, who had screamed at me and other staff members two weeks ago shook my hand hello and I almost fainted from surprise (no head lacerations!). I'm lucky to have a job where I can represent positive change in a notoriously frustrating system and support people who fight every day to make sure Oakland kids know there is more to life than murder.

I came back to my office to a flower arrangement from a Principal I helped yesterday. I'm lucky to have a job where I can help people look good and get some acknowledgment in return.

Jess called and we caught up on the whereabouts of the Korean taco truck and using the ten commandments to modify the behavior of elementary school students (aaah!). I'm lucky to have friends who can make me laugh and make my stomach grumble.

Josh and Sara and David made me feel better on the internet. I'm lucky to have friends with quick access to really really cute kids.

My next door neighbors (ages 5 and 6) were playing on my front steps and teaching each other important life lessons about getting angry and protecting your stuff from the urban miners in the neighborhood. I'm lucky to have a house, especially one in the middle of this Magnolia family.

I did more sit-ups than I usually do at the gym. This had nothing to do with luck.

I'm probably forgetting a bunch of things. Not bad for a day that I was pretty sure was going to make me lose it.