Action!

So, yesterday of course I had another scare. Basically same story. Get to school, ghost town, classmate comes, class time arrives, no teacher shows, "Is this a practical joke?"....and then finally a different ending: teacher arrives a little late, but, ACTION! The ribbon has been cut, second semester is officially open for business!

At first, I brace myself for this new personality that would be providing my formal instruction for the next five months. She walks in, HUGE ENERGY, and starts firing away. After an apologetic introduction, she gets to business. Dispersed throughout her rapid-fire monologue are lines of her extensive and solid curriculum vitae; pretty impressive. The first half an hour I am quite present to the lump in my throat and the stereotypes running through my brain; I'm sizing her up, and she appears to be doing the same to the class of two gathered in her presence. Mid-judgement, I catch myself and then begin to run my own monologue on top of the one that's already happening in my brain, questioning why I'm going through sooo much self-talk and anxiety. I breathe. Surrender my thoughts to the moment, and then really begin to experience what's happening before me, in real time.

As we walk through the syllabus and the format of the class, I emotionally transition back to that place of yearning; the one where I was eager to soak up knowledge and transform it into some form of contribution.

Needless to say, by the end of the class I returned to the essence of me being here. Three hours whisked by and I lingered in my chair for a few moments at the end of the lecture and thanked God for the reminder. No more hoping for snow days to interfere with academia; in my seat I can taste the beauty of privilege manifest in this opportunity that I have to learn! Attitude checked. Gratitude in motion. Ready to proceed. Action!

(P.S.
To top it all off, after an inspiring day at school, I got a chance to attend a panel discussion hosted by Tavis Smiley with Dr. Cornel West as one of the distinguished guests at George Washington University Lisner Auditorium. Brilliant, just brilliant. Thanks Creator for such wonderful and unceasing gifts; the way God treats my life makes it feel as if everyday is my birthday!)