It just be's like that sometimes

Some days it just be's like this:

Reenergizing semi-teaching moment

There have been a few times where I am touched by a former student who shares something in how I impacted their life while or after I was their teacher or coach.

Image source

It's rare that really great things are said to me on Facebook.  But this was an exception.

The other evening, I saw an FB email from an awesome former student who is already a great adult.  He says profound things and always knows how to make people laugh about some memory or about a song that he thought of that relates to something in life.

His email word-for-word (though I changed names):

I bumped into Tony last night and we got to catch up.  He's got a job and is a youth pastor for lack of a better term.  He wants to be a counselor eventually.  Anyway, this condo went down: 

He said -- I just wanna help out in the community and be a guide the way people were for me.  Harp was the dude that just held me down.  I wanna be there and guide somebody in the same way. 

Me -- Miss Awesome was my homie. 

Tony -- Yeah, she was our ace boon.  And Ms A.eye.  Maaaan Ms A.eye.  She was real as shit.  Her and Awesome were the best things that was goin in that district, real talk. 

Me -- I'll ride with them.  Straight regulators style.  MOUNT UP. 

Long story short, your influence is ongoing and you still have a strong rep in the streets.  Thought you might like to know.  I only wish you could've seen the conviction and emotion on Tony's face when he said that.  He MEANT it.  Big time.  Truer words haven't been spoken.

These guys are so great!

I knew they were great when I had them in school, but seeing them continue to do great things in adulthood is really awesome!!  I wish them both (and all my former students!) the best in all that they strive to do... hopefully it all ends positively for them.

Of course I saved that email and took a screen shot of it on my phone so I can look back on it during days of teaching when I may not feel like I'm making an impact on students.

Reassurance after anticipation

I bought the ticket on Saturday and was in NYC on Sunday.  There wasn't even time for anticipation.  Just getting ready to see my sister and to see the city.

There was a peace that took over me as we flew the tiny plane over lower Manhattan and I saw landmarks I recognized from real life and from movies.

There were some jitters as I got off the plane and tried to remember which bus I had to take and where to get the Metro ticket.  Fortunately, my boo had given me really good directions before leaving and a quick call to him reassured me that I knew what I was doing.

I made it to her house.

I have wandered the city for a week, mostly on my own.  I have not gotten lost.  I went to Harlem, Brooklyn, New Jersey, and am now in DC.  When I go back to NYC, I even plan on visiting Chinatown with all of their non-English signs.

It has been fun and I anticipate that I will have fun while here in DC hanging with Big Bro and his girlfriend.

I don't really want to do the touristy things, but I feel that since I am a teacher of history, I should at least do a walk-by of some of the historical landmarks and buildings in the Mall area.

This was my Stream of Consciousness Sunday post hosted by Jana A at Jana's Thinking Place. Today's prompt was anticipation.

And my anticipation for this trip has settled and has turned to reassurance that I can do a lot of things.



You can join in by free-writing for five minutes on the prompt, or on whatever you have on your mind. This is a great brain-dump exercise.  You can link your post to Jana's page, or just go to her page to read what others wrote.

Saturday Quote: The perfect time

So true as I start to try and make things happen in my life.

There really is no time where all of the events will fit perfectly into each circumstance happening in my life.

But, I must strive on anyway!

Bumper buddy

The other day, while in StL, I saw a man in a parallel-parked car bump into the car behind him before pulling out of the parking space.

Yesterday, in Brooklyn, I saw a car with the Bumper Buddy.  I'm sure that this is an old invention, but I love the idea.

I also love that my car is so small that I can usually fit really easily into parking spaces (regular and parallel).  I just have to make sure that I don't pull all the way into perpendicular or angled spots otherwise a car might think the space is empty and then slam into the back of my non-Bumber Buddy Mini.

Now, if only we could get drivers and walkers to not text or otherwise mess with their phones while doing these activities.  I cannot count how many people I have seen bump into others or swerve in their cars due to their cell phone addictions. 

Once, not to far back in the past, there really were people who took part in life without having to constantly have a technological device in their hands or plugged into their ears.

It's true.  

If you're an adult, I hope you remember those days.

If you are a youth, I know it seems strange, but believe me, it is true.  Some people didn't even own cell phones or music players that could fit easily in the palm of their hands.

I don't want to keep stepping

Even when I was in prime shape, I hated walking up lots of stairs.

When I was in college, I was reassured that it was normal when a superb, Olympic-caliber distance runner told me that she got winded walking up a lot of stairs, too.

Since then, I don't feel bad when I get tired from lots of stairs.

I do get angry at them though.

Case in point:

There is no reason that a company should ever leave the up escalator that is this long out of service like it was the other day when I was leaving a store in Manhattan.  I don't know if you can get the full effect of their length just by looking at them, so if you need to count the stairs and then count the stairs on a normal staircase in your house or in your building, feel free.  I estimated that this was about three, almost four, stories of straight stairs.

Walking up these stairs was so painful that I was out of breath and my legs were actually slightly burning for a while after finishing the climb.

On the bright side, I guess it was a good butt and thigh workout.