What a good life I lead! I am sitting here awash in gratitude, and I feel the need to name it and claim it. The beautiful thing—the gift—is that it has nothing to do with me. (And yet I am fully the beneficiary!)
Here’s the magic: I get to work with kids.
I love my work. I write. (In truth, mainly I write for kids.) I get to talk with kids about writing, too. Such a joy!
I also teach. I direct children’s theatre. And this weekend my co-director and I auditioned a new season of “Superstars”—our adolescent performing troupe. All I know is, I am so freakin’ blessed.
These kids—they are growing and learning and expanding at lightning speed—and I have the privilege of supporting them on their journeys. They are deep and silly and soulful and sweet—micro embodiments of the wonder and wow that the universe has to offer. Each of them. Every one of them a package of creative, wonderful, passionate “stuff” that makes this nutty, infuriating, awesome world go round.
I have intended to write this blog weekly, and yet I haven’t for several weeks. I couldn’t. If I’m being honest, my spark has been dimmed. The weight I feel over the socio-political climate around me has been debilitating to my center—to my joy. My “all is well” compass has been demagnetized and is pointing anywhere but north. I’ve been wafting in uncertain waters. I couldn’t find my voice. But I found it again. I found it with those kiddos. Because I am so blessed to work with them—to direct them, to teach them, to mentor them. To love them.
I used to teach in a classroom. It’s been many years since I did that work. But not a week goes by that someone doesn’t ask me, “Are you a teacher?” It just lives in my heart, I think…this love of working with and mentoring these lovely kids—in all their messy, chaotic, heartbreaking, and inspiring growing up-ness.
What a good life I get to lead. How wonderful it is to teach in all its many forms.
I am so blessed to be their student.