blessed

i'm exhausted, but have to get this out before i fall into bed and pass out for too few hours...

as much as i complain & gripe about things at times, i really am quite blessed.

that realization again dawned on me last week when i got to go back to the high school to help out w/ state standardized testing - my boss(es) asked for me back since i have relationships w/ the kids & one in particular who has accommodations & tests better w/ me. i ecstatically agreed since my cooperating teacher for student teaching agreed to it. it was AMAZING to be back for 4 days, getting hugs & smiles from everyone, being back in the groove of harassing kids about their missing work, just visiting in general & catching up...i miss them SO much. thankfully, they seem to miss me too - a fact i hope isn't lost on the administrators. mostly because, i'm completing my application for a high school resource position for next year, and if it doesn't work out for whatever reason, i'm going to be a big sobbing mess. the thing that's holding me up right now is getting recommendation letters; i asked 4 people and have received one back so far, but i asked during testing week & when we had a swim meet - it's been a bit busy. i hope to get the app in this week, fingers crossed.

what's simultaneously embarrassing & heartwarming at the same time is reading those recommendation letters after they're received...a coworker & swim parent was rather gushing in hers, and i can't help but wonder sometimes (not just in her case, but with all coworkers/parents/etc.) - have they really been watching me? do they really think i have a clue as to what i'm doing? am i really that good at faking it?? well, joke's on them! but they believe in me, for some strange reason, and that's huge.

also leading to feeling blessed this weekend was the swim meet we had...spring SE champs went off smoothly and soooo well, despite being 3 very long days at the very hot pool. all the kids in my squad swam REALLY well - one got JO cuts in all but one event; most got best times in most events; and even the most obnoxious/lazy one got motivated & excited to swim fast. the parents were all super helpful overall, nearly everyone was happy & cheerful (there's always one or two jerkfaces...), and most importantly the kids were excited. which makes me as a coach excited. i'm an energy-absorber by nature - good or bad, other peoples' energies rub off on me. normally i'm pretty chill but when you've got a 10-yr-old skipping toward you with a huge grin, waving his heat-winner ribbon, and jazzed about dropping 10 seconds in his race, it's hard to NOT get pumped. there were a few disappointing moments - losing goggles off starts, missing a finals event & then another coach pointing out a rule in the book that forces you to scratch the rest of finals for the meet, slower swims, etc. - but they were few & far between. all the swimmers did amazing, coach was barely grumpy after getting his morning cokes in, & i'm re-energized to coach practices now that i've seen what the kids can really do.

i love my coworkers, i love my swimmers, i love this small town...blessed.