Giving up the rambling life has proved more challenging than I could have imagined. Being back in the states, and finding my identity has been hard. I'm no longer in graduate school, or moving forward on my career path, nor do I own a home anymore. Nope, I'm someone with a graduate degree, living at home, and carpooling to school with my seventeen year old sister! I've never felt more lost in my life.
However, I do have a classroom, and my confidence and comfort in that role sustains me when I realize that I will celebrate my 29th birthday at my parents house where I sleep in a room with two twin beds!
When my reality starts to depress me, days like this one at school, get me through.
Last week, I was on lunch duty and was patrolling the tables when I saw Chris walking up to a table with Robert and Gordon. Chris is an adorable little thing, with great curly blond hair, and big smile. He is a little bumbling thing, without a whole lot of direction in life. He also has a little speech impediment, and pronounces his r's with a little L in them! Gordon is an British transplant, new this year. Robert is quiet, but really smart and mature.
Chris sets his tray down on the table, looks at the other two boys with a determined stare and says, "Boys, how do you feel about George Washington?" He pauses for a second, and then follows up with, "Because I am not a fan!". Robert and Gordon just stared at Chris for a second, trying to make sense out of this comment. It is a quite serious statement for 5th grade lunch, where we usually talk about how fast we ran at recess, and which girl we farted in front of!
Gordon starts off the response, with "Chris, you shouldn't hate George Washington! If it weren't for him, you'd all be talking like me and paying taxes to the queen!". This comment made no sense to Chris, so Robert steps in and offers, "Chris did you mean, George Bush?"
Chris thinks for a second and then with a chuckle, says, "Oh yeah, I get them mixed up a lot. But I'm still not a fan! I mean who starts a war after that other guy is already dead."
At this point he turns to me and says, "You know that guy, what's his name?" I said, "Saddam Hussein?"
"Yeah, him. Didn't he get hanged? I mean he's already dead and then we go over there. That's ridiculous!"
I let Robert and Gordon straighten Chris out, and they continued the Iraq debate for a while. Chris never swayed though - it doesn't matter to him what George's last name is - He is not a fan!
