I am a lifeboat.

Wise words from a colleague:

"You are a lifeboat to children that are drowning in a world of violence, poverty, and chaos. You have the rope to throw and pull them in. You literally might be the only ray of hope in their otherwise gray world. Without you, some of them wouldn't have a chance of surviving. Yes, it is hard. Yes, it is exhausting. Yes, it is unfair that you have to work harder and longer than many people in the same exact profession. But what an honor it is to know that YOU are their lifeboat. It is a privilege reserved for a select few because others would cave under the pressure. Consider yourself richly blessed.
You are a lifeboat."


Sometimes things are very frustrating and slow-moving, especially when dealing with schools/school districts. And often people end up not following through because there are so many demands on our time - I get it. On the other hand, however, there ARE people who support and uplift with the reminder that what we're doing is bold and hopeful. The key is to lean on them and not sink underwater, because YOU are to be relied upon.

Waiting for my real life to begin

Any minute now my ship is coming in
I'll keep checking the horizon
And I'll stand on the bow
And feel the waves come crashing
Come crashing down, down, down on me

And you said,"Be still, my love
Open up your heart
Let the light shine in"
Don't you understand?
I already have a plan
I'm waiting for my real life to begin

When I awoke today suddenly nothing happened
But in my dreams I slew the dragon
And down this beaten path
And up this cobbled lane
I'm walking in my own footsteps once again

And you say,"Just be here now
Forget about the past
Your mask is wearing thin"
Let me throw one more dice
I know that I can win
I'm waiting for my real life to begin

Any minute now my ship is coming in
I'll keep checking the horizon
And I'll check my machine
There's sure to be that call
It's gonna happen soon, soon, oh so very soon
It's just that times are lean

And you say,"Be still, my love
Open up your heart
Let the light shine in"
Don't you understand?
I already have a plan
I'm waiting for my real life to begin

Hey heyeyeyeyey
Hey yeeeeeee
Hey heyeyeyeyey
Eeh eeh eeh eeh eh x5

On a clear day
I can see, see for a long way

On a clear day
I can see, see a very long way

Bone Burying

By Andrea Gibson

"My dog Squash has recently discovered the art of bone burying. Whenever I give her a bone she will spend a good hour or so looking for the perfect burying place. The order typically goes something like this: under the couch cushion, under the couch, under the kitchen broom, under the bedroom curtain, under the living room plant, behind the guitar, behind the suitcase, under the chair pillow, and then finally-always-she eventually decides to bury the bone under ME. Wherever I am sitting in the house, she will find me, jump up in the chair with me, and start burying the bone under one of my thighs. After that, every time, she jumps down, gives me a satisfied look, then falls asleep on the floor.

Lately I’ve been spending a good part of nearly every day thinking about love. Romantic love. The kind of love that involves french kissing and mix tapes and spooning in New York City in the summer when it’s by most people’s standards too disgustingly humid to spoon. The kind of love you wanna bring home to your grandma and say, “Grandma, look at this love! Just look at this LOVE!” Lately I’ve been thinking about who I want to love, and how I want to love, and why I want to love the way I want to love, and what I need to learn to love that way, and who I need to become to become the kind of love I want to be…….and when I break it all down, when I whittle it into a single breath, it essentially comes out like this: Before I die, I want to be somebody’s favorite hiding place, the place they can put everything they know they need to survive, every secret, every solitude, every nervous prayer, and be absolutely certain I will keep it safe. I will keep it safe."

Is there a way to fall out of love,

I wonder.
If we had the power to throw that switch
would you?
Maybe you could do it for me
so instead of hating myself
I can hate something tangible,
like the light switch.

In the dark
my blemishes
are most apparent.

Late night or early morning
it doesn't matter
I am awake regardless.
Sirens ring out across the city;
I cannot tell if they are coming from the southwest or east.
Then I realize
it doesn't matter where they are coming from -
only who they are heading towards.