A New Haircut

Well, looks like I'm blogging again! Its been a few years...five to be exact. If you'd like to see examples the pointless dribble that will no doubt fill this page, visit my old livejournal. If you're still feeling daring, or at least excessively bored, then read on.

I'm entertaining the thought that God speaks through fortune cookies.

Days have had better starts than today's. By lunch, my head was swimming with data sheets, item analysis reports, projected school ratings and all of the same data from our TAKS simulation tests being presented in various (unnecessary) forms...as if I weren't capable of interpreting it for myself. Did it matter that I had already analyzed my classroom data and devised a brilliant action plan to get my kids where they need to be? Of course not. I got tired of the same old discussions over nuked leftovers and soup-at-hands aimlessly circling these tests. Our broken attempts to create equality and accountability, which seem to only succeed at poorly defining not only my worth as a teacher, but my students worth as well, for anyone who cares to look at the reports and make their judgements. So, consequently, I let my mind wander to more whimsical topics.

I've been seriously considering writing a children's novel lately. It is a thought I have had off and on for quite some time, but never seriously considered as an option because...really...who does that? Certainly not this girl. But, I love reading juvenile literature, and I love writing. I may not be any good at it, but I love it. I have this voice in my head that wont stop pestering me about it. Perhaps it's a bit of Kate DiCamillo's Leo Matienne that has seeped into my brain. I would quote him here, but my infantile blogging skills aren't enough to confidently quote published work just yet.

I sat feigning attention while actually pondering this possibility as I broke into the first of my two (yes two) fortune cookies I brought for lunch. I was admittedly excited to read the cheesy quasi-fortune hiding within, but was taken aback by what I read.

“You are a lover of words, someday you should write a book.

Lucky Numbers 10, 13, 18, 31, 35, 36”

A smile crept onto my face without regard to the somber topic of discussion. As I munched on it's crispy container, I found myself falling more and more in love with the idea. Though many doubts and fears tried to drown out that daring fortune, I finally came to a conclusion. Why not? Seriously, what's the worst that could happen? Let's do this.

I was enjoying this moment of decision, which I rarely experience due to my indecisive nature, when I cracked open the second cookie. I quickly read:

“Trust your intuition.

Lucky Numbers 12, 13, 17, 29, 35”

And so this new thought fought it's way through the many ponderings currently occupying my mind, much like a brightly robed woman in Kolkata fighting for her spot in the women's car on the train at rush hour. Does God speak through fortune cookies? I hope so, because I certainly could not love that idea more.

Flash forward to present: I sit here in my neighborhood laundromat, listening to (and admittedly thoroughly enjoying) generic soft-rock and taking in the comforting smell of fresh laundry. Quite the spectacle in my tie-dyed hoodie, dog-chewed flip-flops and favorite worn-in denim shorts, I find my self smiling. The weight of the world conspicuously missing from my shoulders, much like the last few inches of my hair that rested on them mere hours ago. Filled with a hopeful sentiment, no matter how cliché, that anything is possible, I find myself profoundly thankful for the joys of fortune cookies and new haircuts.