Ag Class

so, i'm subbing here at Greenville High School. (but only for a few more days - then it's a la Colorado!) and yesterday I was the Ag teacher. The Equine Science class was really small and i was chatting with the students, you know, like "do you have a horse?" and so on. one guy said he had a horse and the girl sitting next to him, wearing his letter jacket - class of '08, said well, it was kind of her horse too.
I said, "really, why is it your horse too?"
She said, "we have a kid."
I said, "oh, like a little goat?"
She said, "no, like a little human. We have a baby."
I was trying to be chill about it, you know, like pretending that I knew what it was like to have a baby with your high school boyfriend at the age of 16.


Then later in Welding class I overheard this one guy at a big table totally talking about drugs, and how he likes to take his coke. so I obviously interupted and asked across the room, "are you guys talking about drugs?" and of course they were scared/embarrassed. and i told them about some of my friends in Nepal and tried to convince them that drugs aren't cool. then the one main dude came up and hung out at my desk the rest of the time. I mean he'll probably still do drugs and all but my heart really goes out to him.

greetings from the friendly state

well, i just got back from the grocery store and i have to say - what a delight. i've met so many nice people waiting in the check-out lines. (for years i've been doing the self-check out, i'm not sure what that means) today i waited in a line for at least 10 minutes without any movement, but the two customers behind me in line were really chatty and just plain friendly. They weren't in a hurry or upset about anything. The girl behind me, on lunch break from the cosmotology school, was saying she felt sorry for all the celebreties, always having their weaknesses and mistakes highlighted on the front page. she said she likes to sing, but she doesn't want to deal with all that mess in Hollywood. so she said she was just fine singing in the church choir or at the kareoke bar in the basement of a local hotel.

I was really moved by her openness and her joy in the simple things like singing in the choir - i learned a lot about her story by just standing in front of her at the check out line. she didn't pretend to have anything figured out, she pretty much spelled out her weaknesses and fears in line. she was so humble it was beautiful. and she caught me off guard for sure - I'm used to just doing my own thing when i go to the store. but today i didn't do my own thing and i am so thankful. this girl's humility and kindness changed me. I wanted to invite her to go out to coffee, but i didn't...

February resolutions:
i don't wanna be just a scanner or a payer
or a shopper or a finder or a reacher or a buyer
i want to be a person and i want to be available
to other persons even at the grocery store.
i don't want to be a produce-purchasing-machine,
i just want to be a person.