It's Only Wednesday?

Yesterday was another mixed day at work.  There was the morning peace of proctoring an exam for a teacher who had to be out.  I read a lot of Madeleine Albright's newish book Fascism:  A Warning.  I'm more interested in the part of the book I didn't get to, the part where I hope she analyzes our current situation.  But her analysis of 20th century history was very interesting.  Her discussion of the differences between fascism and other types of dictatorship would bear rereading.  She also analyzes different types of democracy in a way that we don't often think about as we choose leaders:  are we more interested in the common good or preserving the rights of all individuals?  Yes, it would be great if we could do both equally.  Can we?

I had a 2:00 meeting at the Ft. Lauderdale campus.  It was an easy drive up, but a beastly ride back--where did all these school zones come from?  I felt very frazzled by the end.

The chair of the education committee of a local Chamber of Commerce got an e-mail from the Chamber with a scolding tone about who gets to decide how money raised shall be used.  We discussed it late in the afternoon.  Let me just say that I'm willing to do a lot of work to fund scholarships so that high school students can go to college.  I'm not willing to do a lot of work to fund programs for Chamber members or to fund operating expenses like postage or having plaques made.  That e-mail made me feel profoundly discouraged.

Happily, my day did not end there.  I finished the day by meeting an old friend for dinner--she's not old, but our friendship has sustained us for many years.  She has the belief in me and my work (both my administration work and my creative work) that I have found tough to sustain this week.

And now it is time to gear up for another day.  It feels like it should be Friday, even though it's Wednesday--I feel like Monday and Tuesday have been that jam-packed and tiring.

Let me look for ways to sustain myself.  I've packed a book of poems to read today.  Even if I can't read the whole thing, I'll dip in and out.  I've packed notes for an article I hope to write.  Let me say a quick prayer that I can be patient and effective.