Own the moment

My second favorite holiday is upon us...NYE! I love the new year and I love the reflection that occurs as I get ready to enter into a new year. Most folks would have deemed this year extremely difficult, I can't really say the same. Were challenges presented? Yes. A few larger than others but I made the decision to make a conscious choice not to dwell on the things are not in my control because despite the difficult, this year was pretty damn good.

This year I have had the opportunity to...

Witness love. In more ways than one. Engagements, Marriages, Babies, Self, others. I am absolutely, totally in love with love and I enjoy being able to experience it and bear witness to it.

Travel. I feel like my desire and love for travel went through the roof. I have to ground myself in reality that as much as I would like to just get up and travel the world, I do have some adult responsibilities to take care of. Despite being a grounded free spirit, I managed to make my way to some pretty cool places. From Jamaica to Belize, Chicago to Charlotte, Georgia to New York, South Carolina to Seattle, Richmond to Toronto, I have had some great travel experiences and look forward to the next adventures with new friends and old.

Serve others. From mentoring to babysitting, cat-sitting to yoga, I have been able to use what I have been blessed with to bless others. My community, my village, is something I'm grateful for and proud to be a part of.

Learn. Yoga teacher certification to Thai Yoga Massage, Reiki to Relationships, this year has been full of eye opening lessons. Lessons that have resonated in ways I didn't know possible. Lessons that have allowed me to recognize my truth, my worth, and have positioned me to live out my greatness.

Grow. Learning how to let go to accepting what it is, recognizing my value and practicing patience. Embracing the change and releasing limitations. This year was filled with growth allowing me to embrace this new year with a more grounded, loving, open energy ready to receive all that is intended for me.

Present. The great experiences throughout the year, the amazing relationships that began and grew strong, the moments of solitude and peace, have all taught me how to be present. If this year has shown me anything it's that life is unpredictable. Who knows what will come when and who knows what will leave and when. You have to own the moment and embrace all that is because it will be gone before you know it.
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Moving into a new year, it is my intention to continue on this trajectory. I set the intention for love, adventure, growth, peace, joy, and all that my heart desires.

And I wish the same for you.

be well, be blessed, and be intentional.

Have a happy new year and own the moment!

What about the in-betweens?

Last week I had the opportunity to return to the school I worked for previously to attend a closing ceremony for a pilot program I worked on over the previous year. It was great reconnecting with my students who are still cray cray (in a good way) and it was great to celebrate the achievements of the students and the program. But while I was there, I was informed that one of my program participants had not been coming to school although he was so close to finishing. No one could explain why he or his sister had not been attending. On my way to work the next morning, I decided to give this student a call to find out what was going on. He informed me that he only missed a few days because of personal appointments and then having to take care of his father (a disabled vet). After speaking with him for a little bit, I spoke with his sister (they're twins so we connected on that level) and she informed me of everything else that was going on. Her father's power was cut off and as a result, Child Protective Services was called because she has a 6 month old. Her and the baby had to go stay in a shelter and her brother voluntarily chose to join them to make sure they were safe. Despite the threat of CPS, they continued to sneak back to their father's because the conditions at the shelter are horrible at best and they caught the baby playing with cockroach.

Fast forward a week later. I'm in Starbucks about to get my Tuesday tea on and I get a phonecall from the girl twin (no names here for privacy) and she is frantic. She is having a breakdown and doesn't know what to do. She's trying to go to school but doesn't feel supported there, she's trying to take care of her child but when she looks around she feels like she is doing it all wrong, she is trying to move forward but doesn't feel like the support she needs to do so is there. After some conversation and comforting, we devised a plan for her for the day so she can feel like she has a sense of purpose. A sense that she is doing something with herself because she WANTS to be better but doesn't know how. 

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Yesterday we had an all staff meeting where it was celebrated that graduation rate has increased across the district. Kudos to the increase but I couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment when we were celebrating the fact that about 69% of students graduate from HS (or from public HS). Which leaves me wondering what happens to the rest? I then think to my former students who are pretty much the rest, the ones that formal public schooling didn't work and now they're attending an alternative school in order to accomplish what they "should" have accomplished already. 

We never quite talk about the ones that aren't considered "bad", the in-betweens as I call them. the ones that because of life circumstances have fallen in the cracks, the ones that aren't disruptive or troublemakers, the ones that want better but haven't been given the right support to do better. The ones overlooked because they don't fit the image we have of troubled youth. It seems like you have fall on polar sides of the spectrum for someone to pay attention to your needs- either you're a superstar youth or you are a misguided youth but what then happens to those in-between?

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As I continue to work in this youth arena, I am realizing that my purpose is to continue working with those in-betweens. The ones who voices are just above a whisper just below a yell. 

It takes a village...

Last week was rough. I've been in my new role for a month (damn where has time gone?!) and last week things unexpectedly got real. In my new role i'm responsible for designing and implementing 2 district wide post-secondary preparation initiatives for students with special needs (social-emotional, cognitive disabilities, etc.). I love program design. I'm passionate about education and I enjoy working with youth. I took this position because it would challenge me to do this work in a larger capacity creating the opportunity to interact and impact more young people. But last week, this all became real.

There is A LOT that goes into program design. Some big things some little things, several small pieces that make the bigger picture. I decided that the program structure for my 9th/10 grade academy will focus on post-secondary exploration through a social justice lens. Not only will students be able to examine career paths they're interested in, they will be able to examine how they can have a positive impact on their communities within that chosen career path. So after figuring out the desired outcome then the curriculum (the actual lesson plan and structure that will get the students to the outcome), experiential learning components, and logistics have to be ironed out. Yada Yada Yada...i'll spare you all the details. So, last week while going through the student selection and notification process I realized that I have a little over a month to design 2 programs (9/10th grade academy, 11/12th grade academy) and then I became overwhelmed. I could not shut my brain off, thinking about this thinking about that. My eyes and my head were throbbing from the hours of looking at a computer screen (and probably from thinking...haha) and no lie, I must of thought several times a day why did I sign up for this? Why didn't I choose a different career field? and then I received this...

"I can't tell you how happy this opportunity makes me. It is coming at just the time when he is going into what I call "caveman adolescence," where his number-one past time is playing video games in his room. I am probably sharing too much but the fact that he will get paid for the first time in his life to learn about the real world, and how to get a job, and how to work, and how to make it out there in a world that will be increasingly uncertain under a Trump presidency, has me almost in tears. I travel a great deal and work late a lot so this program is a godsend!!!

Thank you thank you thank you!"

This note came from a parent of one of the accepted students. Now lets be clear. I haven't done anything yet, other than extend an offer to her son to participate in the program. Of course reading this made my day, but it also made me realize just how important the village is. I have never given birth but I have the tremendous opportunity to "mother" a ton of young people and let me tell you, the smallest amount of attention can have the greatest impact. 

Now more than ever, I believe there is a need to come together. I was raised by a strong village. I feel like my whole community had a hand in the person I have become and I believe that if I did not have the village I had, I would have turned out completely different. Having multiple avenues of support and guidance makes all the difference. Having multiple people cheering you on, encouraging you to continue on, makes a huge difference. 

I haven't said much in regards to the election or any of that because I have never been big into politics and believe that change resides in the people. I have listened to people express their fears, their worries, their concerns, but I have yet to really hear anyone express what their actions will be. I haven't heard much conversation about the role that they're going to play in creating a world they wish to be a part of. Nothing is going change unless we're going to change and nothing is going to change unless we act. It truly takes a village...