Hello friends!

Phew! My first week of school is behind me. I love it all and I have all my homework done early like a good Enneagram 1. I’m exhausted and also my brain won’t stop churning over all the things and I’m exhausted. Did I say that already? I already regret my arrogance at not taking the easy math path. My children promise me the first couple weeks of term are the worst and I will get into a groove before I know it. (Please let that be true for almost-50 year old brains too.)

I am in love with everything about Community College, especially the egalitarianism of it. It’s open to everyone, it’s cheap(ish), and the professors are not going to get famous and make their careers here, so they’re just the type of people who like to help the ragtag rest of us learn things. And boy are we ragtag. I have to turn off my Zoom camera so I don’t just grin with happiness at all the diverse and wonderful humanity in my classes. Everyone - I mean, mostly everyone I talked to about starting school - told me I would be so annoyed by the young people in my classes, but listen, I AM NOT ANNOYED BY THE YOUNG PEOPLE. I love them. I love the boy who spends the whole class staring at himself and smoothing his hair back, up, down, flip the bangs, every two minutes. I love the kid who refuses to answer any questions posed to him. None. I love the girl who just graduated from her ESL class and always has to ask the meaning of words (you go, girl.) I love the ones who insist we have our pronouns visible next to our names so no one feels unwelcome. I love the spotty, awkward kids whose voices crack when they are called on and the bright-haired extroverts who cannot quit interrupting. The world is just full of interesting and gorgeous humans and I’m so glad to be a part of it. Do I sound excited and ridiculous? I know. But honestly, the world is beautiful and I’m happy to be here.

We ended March with the most wonderful walk down to the river to see the Full Crow Moon ride the night sky. (I just shot these photos with my iPhone, so please excuse the graininess!) I’m getting better about marking these days with small ceremonies. Full moons are for gratitude, which was a perfect way to end the month and begin a new one with so many changes.

I don’t have much more to offer this week, except an apology for the missed comments and emails I haven’t responded to. I hope I’ll be more coherent next week. Until then, enjoy this strange and wonderful world we live in as much as you can. I hope you get some sunshine and maybe some (appropriately distanced and masked) time with actual people this week.

Gathered:

~ I make kombucha every couple of weeks. This post from Cat’s gorgeous blog inspired my best batch yet, which I made with rosehips, hibiscus, elderberry, schisandra berry and ginger. Soooo yummy!

~ Johnny Flynn and Robert Macfarlane are releasing a pandemic album inspired by Gilgamesh. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I can’t even. Preview Gods and Monsters. (Also, Johnny Flynn is the best thing about the new-ish Emma, which has many amazing qualities.)

~ And this reminder from Gladys Taber: “I believe there is nothing so tiresome as an apologetic woman.”

Peace friends,

tonia