Spring Cleaning

My spring cleaning comes at the end of the season, academic year, and when I change jobs. Yes, there are three. This round of cleaning is all of those plus a pack and move. Strange thing for instance of cleaning is the sifting and sorting is for a season that never was, a virtual academic year, and an almost two-year stop in Winston Salem.

As I contemplate and prepare for this move I revisit many memories. One such memory is triggered by each of these tokens: a happy little turtle, Woodstock pez dispenser, and a jade elephant.

The red and green turtle was given to my by one of my AP biology students when I taught high school biology during my first huge career shift. I would substitute teach to help pay bills as I worked to figure out what I was going to do for work, and attend to my passion of volleyball, teaching and learning. The student thanked me for helping him get a 5 on the AP exam, and said he was excited to be the first in his family to attend college. He said, "Slow and steady wins the race, coach. You'll figure it out, if anybody does it will be you."

The Woodstock pez dispenser was given to me as payment for changing a tire for an amputee. I had not asked for payment, but I had just finished changing a difficult tire on a hot an humid day. He gave me the pez, a bottle of water, and a business card good for artwork from his tattoo parlor. I don't have a tattoo. I have never thought of getting one. I don't even know what I would get. Anyway, I lost that freebie like 5-6 moves ago, but Woodstock still greets me at my desk to remind me how good you can make other people feel.

The jade elephant is the newest addition to the collection of desk friends. This student athlete had a hard time navigating college dealing with personal struggles, and coming back from injury. On her trip to Thailand she thought enough of me to bring me back something. I think of Waffle House when I look at it, that's a story I'll let her tell you.

Bye Winston-Salem, it's been fun.