Waiting for something to happen

It was a wonderful party.  Friends, family, adopted family, students, all gathered to eat food, drink too much and celebrate the remarkable life led by our dear friend Diana.  We didn't have a ceremony planned  but each of us took a shovel full of dirt, laid it at the foot of a hemlock tree planted in her honor, and said a few words about what Diana meant to us.  It was very moving and truthful.  Then we drank shots of tequila.  Too damned many.

I had some really good talks with some really good old friends (you know who you are!) and we connected in a way that I think DP would have been very happy with.  We are connected by our long mutual journey together, which does not end because Diana's did.   I woke up on Sunday with a sore head and the feeling of a life well-missed.

Now I'm sitting, preparing to go to work and continue disentangling myself from 13 years of work at the same place.  I've pretty much announced to everyone and am now in the process of trying to finish everything I started.  Good luck!  My boss is running around trying to find folks to do what I used to do (somewhat gratifying) and generally needing my help keeping the transition orderly.  No problem.  He has helped me a good deal and he has it coming.

What's harder is saying goodbye to clients.  I have been thinking about keeping a small caseload, but then I think about giving up my Saturday mornings to do this and I begin to hedge.  The result is I think I'll take about TWO.  I want some down time soon.

My new boss says we're going to be doing a month of training of squad leaders (I forget what they're called) and then 140 "members" (enrollees, Americorps folks) arrive July 8, the day after I turn 50.  It's going to be a big start up from scratch and I'm going to be training them, I guess.  Jodi, boss in question, is bringing in a counselor from another site to help.  Can't complain about that.

Why the inflatable monkey?   Why the hell not?!  I saw him from the monorail at the Fair last year.  Friends, you just can't have enough inflatable monkey pictures.