Is it June already?

Well, this past weekend I had a glorious time with my Colgate buddies at our 10th reunion--good lord, how did that happen? We had such fun (though some of you were very missed! You know who you are) hanging out, seeing the changes on campus (lots), buying Colgate gear, chatting with people we hadn't even begun to talk to ten years ago, and just enjoying time when not one of us was occupied with anything but being together. We looked at ourselves and where we'd gone in ten years...and we realized we were glad we'd changed and become more confident in who we were as people. We also commented that we felt we looked better than some of our classmates because we were happy and had made good decisions. I think stress, anger, and meanness truly does take a physical toll. So it was great to gather in the place which made us friends and see how much those friendships influenced our lives and will continue to do so. The conversation went from refinancing our houses to dirty jokes in under five minutes--we're adults but still keep the silly. I like that, and I loved my time there.

I'm glad I had that, because May seemed very long in a lot of ways. It's the end of the school year, so grading piles up and I have to get kids ready for the exam and make sure my seniors pass. I finished up my one certification class and another starts THIS AFTERNOON. I waited for two anxious weeks to find out about a permanent position for next year...and got another long-term sub job, which I am happy to have in these troubled economic times, especially at a place I like, but I obviously would have loved the permanent job. My midsection has decided to grow at a rate that my pants do not like.

But...I had dinner last night using arugula from my very own garden, and my beets are coming up as well. Oh, and throwing the beet greens in the salad was also very tasty. My husband, family, and friends have been endlessly supportive through my job anxiousness. It's warm enough to lie in the hammock. Burn Notice is starting a new season tonight. Penny is the sweetest little dog ever. I just got to see almost all of my very best friends all in the same place for an extended amount of time. My 94 year-old grandmother is still razor-sharp and had me laughing so hard this past weekend I almost spit out my drink. My sister's coming in this weekend, and T and I are going to the retirement celebration of our third grade teacher. So things are good.

Last night at a retirement dinner for teachers in my district, my one friend C gave a great speech about saying "Yes"; "yes" to needing help, to helping others, to working on committees, to trying new things, to things you would usually say "no" to. She suggested that every day we do the latter, and it will eventually become easier to say "yes" instead of "no". I am going to take her advice as much as possible and I urge you to do the same.

Meantime, happy Wednesday, folks!