i have built a treehouse

i choose these words so carefully
like stringing beads for jewelry
to adorn your wrists, to make you feel
so deserving, of everything.

...

a typical monday:

a quiet monday in the office, i spent most of my time catching up on weekend emails, planning a couple meetings, prepping for wednesday, and discussing the new caribou coffee logo.

yesterday, after work, i tutored my little kindergarten friend jadaisha at freedom for youth. she knows me better now, which means she's excited and chatty and affectionate, at first. but she's also comfortable enough with me now to sass back and argue and scribble unintelligable letters onto her worksheets when it comes time to do any actual work. but her smile and her laugh are infectious, and i end up giving in and letting her color every time.

i drove jadaisha and her siblings home while they pushed and shoved and sang songs about elephants in the backseat. j'ronte asked me to drop off his late fees at blockbuster for him, before his mom dissapproved. i wonder so much about what those kids are up against. what are the odds they will make it through all of this okay?

i went straight to work out, and tried to watch part of the bachelor on one of the big tvs - which was increasingly awkward as more people came to work out around me, and the guy on the treadmill next to me was forced to watch jake and vienna slather mud all over each other. embarassing for everyone, really. i instead concentrated on running, which kept getting more and more painful as the minutes ticked by. i'm rather certain i'm getting shin splints - it's a searing, unrelenting pain and it has been happening for the last month - but i'm so stubborn about the whole thing, and i just keep running. maybe i just need new shoes. i hope that is the case.

i picked elizabeth up at the airport and was able to get debriefed on her time down south over some coffee and chai at my place. it sounds like she had a really good time & she got to see her guy in his element, which is important. it's crazy to think about her getting married, but it's also incredible to look at God's hand and timing in all of this.

then david showed up, after a marathon day of work at hillside. he had experienced such an unbelievably emotionally draining day... i wasn't even sure what to say to help comfort him. i felt so angry at the idiotic parents who attack him because they don't have control over thier own lives, much less their bratty kids. i felt so sad at what some of his coworkers are going through. it was a heavy discussion, to say the least.

i went to sleep, thoughts spinning, but woke to such bright sunlight, it felt like a great new beginning. i cranked up some i'm from barcelona and sang along while getting ready. i am almost certain that winter is over. knock on wood...