So today was field trip day. We were to go wherever we wanted to go today and observe the buildings, the people, the weather, and anything else that caught our interest. We were to notice what we were drawn to and what we learned in the process.
Ok, so here is the thing. I have begun to notice that whatever I am “assigned” to write on that day is what I really need to write about at that time in my life. So Tuesday’s are my busy day with school and this Tuesday was no different. I was gone much longer then I would have liked, but it was all good. Well except for the weather, as we prepared for the “blizzard” of 2011. In some respects, there has been this kind of emotional blizzard going on in my life around liftline, so the bitter cold, snow, and wind in the weather kind of matched some of what I was experiencing and like the blizzard, I know this storm is not over, and there is more to come. However, at the same time, in the midst of this storm and the blizzard, my life has been filled with gifts. My heart has been overflowing with the outpouring of love and support from people from so many aspects of my life who are all letting me know whatever they can do to support me, I have it. That outpouring of love has been such a blessing and this morning I got to talk to two of my many “champions.” One of them just let me be me. I didn’t have to be the uber spiritual person. I didn’t have to be calm, cool, collected. She said come into a space and just let it all go and I did and I was so grateful to have that safe space to have a commercial moment with a friend because then I could return to the more positive programming in my lifeJ. From that point on in my life today, it was nothing but clear skies and sunshine. My trip to the blood lab was uneventful and even enjoyable. The blood was drawn without problems, my liftline buses were actually viewable to me (whoo hoo), and I got to see a passenger I have not seen in a while and that was a blessing. Then I got to school and got to sit and talk with some students over a bottle of diet mountain dew (my new drink of choice) and be inspired by their excitement over the material. had a wonderful meeting with my chair who laughed about how I am building this empire (due to the creativity of my teaching), but also asked me to reflect on how I might be able to make it less overwhelming for my students as they first entered the world of J. So I brought it to my students that night in class and they laughed, gave me a few very minor suggestions, which I could easily incorporate, and all is well. Had a nice chat with one of my former students who has become a dear friend and got to have a brief conversation with one of the other adjuncts, who is also a judge, who invited me to speak to his class about my experiences as a woman with a disability. Ok. So here is the thing that I noticed. Everywhere I turned today, I was greeted by a gift of love and appreciation. Even my struggles with liftline became a gift because they created an opportunity for me to speak to an entire group of students about transportation and other issues for people with disabilities. Then I got to come home to my home, which has a completely new feeling for me after Monday night’s experience. And in the midst of the wind, the cold, and the snow on the outside, my inside was experiencing blue skies, warm weather, and cool breezes. It doesn’t get any better then this or maybe it does. Let’s see what gifts the next day brings J