It has been a good day and as I predicted a few days ago, I am exhausted. It has been a long week and a wild ride on Mephistopheles the mechanical bull–up and down, side to side, spinning first one way then reversing course to spin the other. But through it all I’m still standing strong and walking tall, at times oddly exhilarated by the ride. I need not worry that I’ll be bored: there’s always more than enough happening in and around my life that I’ll be alert and engaged if not always energetic. I am grateful for being relatively upbeat and coherent at the end of what has been a long week. And, I still have another full day of work tomorrow, participating in an all day leadership conference for students. It’s a good thing.
I am so appreciative to be a lifelong learner; the world is my classroom and everywhere I find myself is a laboratory for new experiences that I can weave into my life experiences. Today I sat in on several hours worth of educational sessions that were both life affirming and draining in an odd sort of way. On the one hand, an educator, whom we had invited to come and speak on our campus offered suggestions and guidance to help those of us who labor for social justice in the world figure out how to do this challenging work while still maintaining our sanity and sense of health and wellbeing. On the other hand I was also reminded how difficult it can be to stand up in the face of opposition and oppression to and fight for justice for people who have been historically and systematically disenfranchised, ignored, and abused. That’s the exhausting part. Nevertheless I was strengthened and encouraged by the presenter. Sometimes I feel like a tiny young plant: sometimes all I need is a little water and light to begin to grow and prosper. A little hope is a wonderful thing.
I don’t have the mental or physical energy to write much tonight. I need to get some rest so I can be up and out early again (I’m aiming for about 7:15 or so) tomorrow. It’s going to be a long day for me at work and for my roommate here at home. I might have to call in reinforcements to come by my house and let her outside for a few minutes. We shall see. I am grateful for this moment I am in right now. I have thought, experienced, learned, discussed, contemplated, breathed, relaxed, spoke to a crowd, sat in silence, sat in traffic, walked my dog. So many tiny decisions, actions, experiences all piled up in the course of the 18 hours that made up this day. When you add up all the seconds, minutes, and hours of this day–March 1, 2013–it has totaled time well spent in a very good day. And for that I am deeply grateful.
