comfort

This recent gratitude journal entry is too lovely to hide away in the pages of a journal.  

• Oh Gopey. Suffocating me with her long night of cuddles. But so dang cute and such a comfort. 

• First cool morning of the season. 

• Storytimes went pretty well. The Oge Mora book is hanging on by a thread (Saturday). It’s a bit too long but too good not to keep trying.  All the breathing exercises and zoooooms helped some. Grumpy Pants has been such a winner all week it’s just ridiculous. When I read the words, “hot chocolate” a little boy screeched, “CHOCOLATE” with such delight and enthusiasm a coworker, who was in the office next to the storytime room mentioned it later. This was also the same book that inspired a little girl from the Montessori outreach storytimes to tell me she pooped her pants and had to take a shower. Who knew a penguin could evoke so much emotion from children?

After storytime today, a patron approached me and told me how much her family loved my storytime. 

She asked me if I had a masters in library science. I said not yet. She then asked me if I had an education background. I said no. 

She said, "So it’s music then?" She didn’t give me a chance to respond. She flashed another smile and scooped up her child.

I was standing in a pile of foam letters from one of our storytime games, but I was speechless.  I have been thinking about our short conversation constantly.

I don't have any kind of official degree relating to my work.  Instead, my life is constant learning.  I think that's one of the greatest pleasures of my job.  The learning never ends.  

I major in enthusiasm, delight in the antics of children, and have a firm and unshakeable passion for being a part of a place where children can flourish and grow into themselves in a safe and nurturing environment.

One of my brothers shared a Mister Rogers snippet with me, and Mister Rogers says it best.

"I give an expression of care every day to each child."  

This is what we do at the library.  

Here I am going on and on again, giving all my thoughts to the white space like kids tossing foam letters onto the parachute.  😆

• I was a total zombie during lunch but glad I had my cozy car to hide away in until I became human again.  So thrilled to have my nap bag with my blanket and pillow.  

• A really easy and peaceful afternoon just getting my sh@# together. 

• Took four tries to find a free court with a backboard, but it was (undisclosed park) for the win today. Never had to work so hard to work so hard. I started to play tennis in the chilly air and my body was confused. It thought the hard work (finding a court) was over and it was time for hot chocolate. Thank goodness for new sneaks and socks. They gave me just enough juice to zombie sloth my way through some drills (the joy of experiencing tread again). All the while James Herriot was pattering on about cows and diseases and good ol’ hypocritical Siegfried.   I'm in the middle of his second book, and it's such a comforting place to hide while I pretend to be fierce and create white space for the next day.