I Took Most of Friday Night Off, But Still, I Can't Help But Look For Signs In My Universe For What's Next

I met a friend for dinner last night - a savior, a worker bee, a number genius, a grant extraordinaire, a supporter and a problem solver, and while I awaited her arrival, I saw this art piece on the wall: WIT to WOL. 

And it was a good dinner...a closing of sorts...for 8 years I've said, "I need to take you out for all you do for CWP" and we've both been too busy to ever make it happen. We finally made it happen because, well, University systems don't operate in the the best interest of actual human beings and so if it is awesome and great and fantastic and fabulous and spectacular, they say, "We don't need this position any more," and they eradicate it.

She is all that: awesome and great and fantastic and fabulous and spectacular and guess what? She's also HAPPY. She's been released from the burden of chaos and exploitation of employment she's been entrapped in over the last few years as Universities act stupid and do things to save money while filling their own pockets (which includes no longer needing the people that are awesome and great and fantastic and fabulous and spectacular).

The lightness has been granted her way...the same lightness I hear from everyone who chooses to leave or is forced to leave. It's a harsh moment, and then total joy and emancipation.

But I wanted to write about the WIT and WOL. In the back of my mind, I know this is the 10th anniversary of the creation of Writing Our Lives with Dr. Marcelle Haddix at Syracuse. I was a doctoral student during her first year and we had this idea, I wrote a grant, and WOLA, we had seed money to host a writing gathering for youth. She's been doing them ever since in Syracuse and I've been doing them in Connecticut. I loved seeing WIT and WOL (Writing Our Lives) side by side, because that is what it has taken. We know kids love to write and that they want opportunities to compose in settings (unlike school) that caters to their hearts, souls and imagination. So, we've found ways to invest in that in 2009 and now, a decade later, it is simply what we do with respect for kids.

After the dinner and photograph, I came home to work some more. Shhh. It's a Friday night, but I'm an addict. I am hoping to take advantage of the next two days which are calling for sunny skies, warm temps, but cool nights. But I also know there's work needing to be done.