I was very happy to have this weekend behind me and I still am. There is always a post-show void left behind but this is the first time that I’ve been on my own when a season is ending and I have to say that the void is just a little less. I don’t feel like I have to make up reasons to be busy or apologize for needing to be doing something almost all the time. Past couple of days I’ve left work and headed to the climbing gym for a bit and then ran, something I’m planning to do tonight as well. I’ve got projects in the works with my cousin coming in from Detroit and I’m happy to be able to focus on a new creative project so quickly that will mostly take place in my mind until it happens at the end of April.

Today’s climb was really solid, I met up with a buddy who was there when I was just getting my climbing legs under me and is a much more seasoned climber than I am. He’s been divorced and works in the schools and we’ve got some other things in common as well. I was there when he did his first 50k at Knob Hills and we were chatting about some longer distances for him, something I can contribute back to his gift of climbing knowledge, when he mentioned he was having to step back for a little bit because he is having a tumor removed from his thyroid. He’s younger than me by a little and I can’t imagine having to take something on like that right now. He’s got a wife and new child now that can be there to support him and I know if I was facing something like that I would have people around me as well but it is scary.

End of the day today I had a student either attempt suicide or engage in self harm in a very conspicuous way. Maybe hesitation cuts or something like that. The kid is one I don’t know well at all, they came in to my class in 8th grade and it is an intro class with a lot of big personalities and I have seen them have hard days from time to time but anytime I reach out there isn’t a way in. Well, today they went to the bathroom and then came back and their friend said, “Hey, Mr. Taylor, they need to go to the nurse.” I quickly evaluated the situation and asked the other student if they could walk them to the office. I hopped on the phone and let the nurse know there was something coming her way that was out of the ordinary. When these things happen at work, I go into crisis management mode pretty quickly and did a visual sweep of the bathroom to check for whatever might be in there and then locked it down… I’d love to say this is the first time I’ve dealt with this kind of thing but I’ve been teaching for almost 10 years and the world is a hard place for kids struggling to find their place.

Anyway, I’m heading out to run here in a bit and be around more people before I head into a busy-ish weekend of kids, timing and a get together. At least we have Monday off and I’ll have the kids an extra day we can just relax together and be a family.