Give Me The World Of Dogs for Hope, Meaning, Purpose, and Unconditional Love. So Honored to Have Jake-Sitting Responsibilities for a Week

Okay, Thursday. Sue always said, "No two days in a row." When they come, she would respond, "Never three days in a row," and when they come, she'd say, "but surely not four days in a row." I'm hopeful that Thursday will offer recluse from the insanity and frustration arriving daily via email, visits to my office, and from colleagues who are simply on edge that all of it is simply too much. 

We love what we do and we do it well. Our passion extends the local the national. We work to provide services, teaching, and scholarship to enhance the profession. That is what we're paid to do. Yet, when that is still not enough and more and more obstacles come our way, it is simply maddening. I'm channeling Gholdy, I'm channeling Gholdy, I'm channeling Gholdy. There's a time to be capitalist greedy and a time to be humane.

Being human has always been The National Writing Project and the Brown School way. I am thankful to have them as my foundation. I'm also thankful to the integrity, grace, and expertise modeled for me at Syracuse University. But more importantly, I'm simply appreciate of the dogs that bring everything into focus. Jake makes a beautiful mouse and I'm glad that my response to his barking worked, and he quickly became quiet as a mouse because of the ears. They didn't last long, but while they did, he was adorable. 

It is seriously problematic when we can't accomplish what we're supposed to do, simply because the top piles more on the bottom to accomplish their agenda. I can't even keep up with grading, my own obligations, and my leadership, especially this year while I'm me, plus covering the roles of four of my colleagues. We are way below what we need to accomplish the work and our requests fall on deaf ears. Instead of listening and helping us to accomplish together, they set new agendas, adopt to digital platforms that require more work, rather than less, and their narrative is $, $, and $. It's simply incompressible. 

I'd rather walk the dogs and answer the emails of students. I prefer choosing what is right for the better of the world, rather than the goals of the greedy. I was born a jerk, and I'll die a jerk, simply for being honest, strong, and steadfast. 

At some point, something has to change. Period.