WooooooooooooHooooooooooo! If The Boomers played all day, I'd probably dance all day. Maybe I'll just dance all day anyway, with the occasional pause for reflection...
Jane and I had lunch and did a lot of remembering when....we started this run of four years....when we bucked old beliefs and did what we thought was the right thing to do during a strike...when we stood up to other leaders and said 'it is about the kids; not the money'...when we faced incredibly difficult personal battles, but kept on facing professional battles simultaneously~and then only crumbled privately...when we laughed over ridiculous stories....when we cried over assaults...when we bonded as friends forever through the joint experiences of our leadership positions because no one else could truly understand what it took to do the job.
Our skills complemented each other - Jane is politically savvy and very talented at being a more public persona; I'm a little more subdued in public, will never understand why ANYONE would want a political career :), and can usually see both sides of a story. We have borrowed advice and counsel from the other frequently and occasionally felt like Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee when in uncomfortable situations. Never have decided who was Dum and who was Dee though.
So, a jig? A Highland Fling? A waltz or foxtrot? The watusi or mashed potato?
Or a slow two-step, perhaps, with my friend Jane while we wear our battered gold sequin crowns upside down and laugh. And cry, as we share one more hug, and head out the door.
Thank you Jane, for everything.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
I Found It! and You Can Have It Now~
Woooohoooo! I found my old blog. I hadn't been on for quite a while and just couldn't remember the address. Write it down somewhere? Gosh, why would I want to do that? Anyhow, I loved this in the past when Michelle would post pictures and stories, and would still like the whole fam to contribute~ HINT.
I need to be getting ready for work because I have a bargaining meeting this morning, then lunch with my good friend Jane. Jane and I walk out of our offices, fully crowned, arm-in-arm to end our presidential terms simultaneously next Tuesday. I will hand off the baton to the new ESP president and Jane will do the same to the new teachers' president, and off we go back to the future. We have shared so much in these past four years that no one else could possibly believe or understand - from a week at Harvard University to hospital stays to cat attacks to accusations and then our gold sequined crowns, a little battered. We have bought cowboy boots together in Nashville and battled snow in Salem; we got 'lost' in Boston (and almost suffered heat stroke), and grew BATs. We have presented the Speed of Trust together and dreamed of the day we could take it on the road. Our grand plans have settled a bit, and we have decided that burnout is burnout, and our flames are dimming. Passion needs a respite now and then, and we have both been vocal about our strong opinions on advocacy; our voices are fading. Time to go 'home' for a while.
The transition feels very odd; I went to Student Services yesterday and my memory was on overload. So much to remember and so much to learn, but I'll get by. The crew there is the best and they'll pull me along while I readjust to the joy of an 8 hour day and an hour for lunch. (Another thing Jane and I have in common - long long days. Lunch hour? Breaks? Ha!)
It will be a little hard to give up the freedom to come and go as needed. It will be a little hard to sit in the 'congregation' during Building Rep meetings or Executive Board meetings. It will be a little hard to read a newsletter that I didn't write; to check a website that doesn't have my blog. Now, on the other hand, it won't be hard to sit in the congregation, nor will it be hard to stay at work and not have a variety of meetings that demand quick changes and quicker decisions. Phone calls? Emails? Nah, won't miss those.
What I will miss: service to almost 2400 people who may or may not believe that I have their best interests at heart. I will miss the feeling of satisfaction that comes after I have made a stand on one person's behalf, or on everyone's behalf. I will greatly miss spending time with those who are my mentors, my executive committee, and my friends.
But, it's time. I think I will buy a baton (or a baseball bat!) to hand to the new President. "Here you go - wield it well."
I need to be getting ready for work because I have a bargaining meeting this morning, then lunch with my good friend Jane. Jane and I walk out of our offices, fully crowned, arm-in-arm to end our presidential terms simultaneously next Tuesday. I will hand off the baton to the new ESP president and Jane will do the same to the new teachers' president, and off we go back to the future. We have shared so much in these past four years that no one else could possibly believe or understand - from a week at Harvard University to hospital stays to cat attacks to accusations and then our gold sequined crowns, a little battered. We have bought cowboy boots together in Nashville and battled snow in Salem; we got 'lost' in Boston (and almost suffered heat stroke), and grew BATs. We have presented the Speed of Trust together and dreamed of the day we could take it on the road. Our grand plans have settled a bit, and we have decided that burnout is burnout, and our flames are dimming. Passion needs a respite now and then, and we have both been vocal about our strong opinions on advocacy; our voices are fading. Time to go 'home' for a while.
The transition feels very odd; I went to Student Services yesterday and my memory was on overload. So much to remember and so much to learn, but I'll get by. The crew there is the best and they'll pull me along while I readjust to the joy of an 8 hour day and an hour for lunch. (Another thing Jane and I have in common - long long days. Lunch hour? Breaks? Ha!)
It will be a little hard to give up the freedom to come and go as needed. It will be a little hard to sit in the 'congregation' during Building Rep meetings or Executive Board meetings. It will be a little hard to read a newsletter that I didn't write; to check a website that doesn't have my blog. Now, on the other hand, it won't be hard to sit in the congregation, nor will it be hard to stay at work and not have a variety of meetings that demand quick changes and quicker decisions. Phone calls? Emails? Nah, won't miss those.
What I will miss: service to almost 2400 people who may or may not believe that I have their best interests at heart. I will miss the feeling of satisfaction that comes after I have made a stand on one person's behalf, or on everyone's behalf. I will greatly miss spending time with those who are my mentors, my executive committee, and my friends.
But, it's time. I think I will buy a baton (or a baseball bat!) to hand to the new President. "Here you go - wield it well."
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