Aug 24 2026 2026-08-24 2026-08-24 NoComment by Ross

Job Satisfaction — I Guess I’ll Take It Where I Can Get It

Posted in Work

I guess I’ll take job satisfaction where I can get it.

Let’s start with the most obvious positive: I’m getting my full salary.

That’s something.

Of course, that’s also what makes this a job and not a volunteer gig or a hobby, but after the uncertainty of the last few months, getting up, going to work, and receiving my normal paycheck is not something I’m going to complain about.

And there were some genuinely good things about the first day.

The day started with an all-school assembly welcoming the students back and laying out expectations for the year. I loved it. I begged my former school for years to do something like that, and we never did.

It seems so basic. Start the year together. Show a little enthusiasm. Build some community. Ease everybody into Day One.

And, most importantly, tell everybody the rules.

Here is what you can do. Here is what you cannot do. Here is what will happen if you do the things you cannot do.

Novel concept.

Before the assembly, I had already noticed students putting their phones in their lockers. And then something remarkable happened: I didn’t see a kid with a phone all day.

I’m sure there are some burner phones and dummy phones floating around. Kids aren’t stupid. But the school had already confiscated three hoodies that violated the dress code, so I don’t have much doubt they’ll take phones, too. And if they take your phone, a parent has to come to school to get it back.

Good.

My former school wouldn’t let us confiscate phones. It was a shitshow. We were basically asking teenagers to voluntarily ignore the most addictive device ever invented while it sat six inches from their hands.

You can guess how well that worked.

So, overall, I was impressed with how the school started the year. Clear expectations. Clear consequences. Some school spirit. Adults actually acting like adults and running the building.

Another positive came from one of the classes I’m working with. There are only seven students, but it’s an advanced class and every single one of them was awesome. Engaged, interesting, and fun to talk to. I think I’m going to love working with them.

The other classes weren’t anything I haven’t dealt with before. They’re teenagers. I’ve taught teenagers for eight years. Nothing particularly scary or shocking there.

So what’s the problem?

I’m bored.

And I don’t mean “teaching is boring.” I mean I literally don’t have enough work to do.

I had three free periods in a row today. That’s 165 minutes. Then I had a class. Then another free period. Then one final class.

Five free periods in one day.

Normally, a free period is wonderful. You grade. You plan. You answer emails. You make copies. You stare blankly at the wall for seven minutes wondering why you decided teaching was a good second career. At my old school, I had a guitar in my room to play during free periods, or I’d even go for a run.

But I don’t have my own classes, so I don’t have much to plan. I don’t have assignments to grade. I don’t have tomorrow’s lesson to create.  I don’t have my own classroom, so I’m not going to bring a guitar.

There are only so many times you can check your email.

It’s not the school’s fault. I’m here because of the reassignment situation, and they’re figuring out how to use me. But I realized today that I really don’t like not working at work.

I’d rather have a full schedule of my own classes. I’d rather be planning lessons, teaching, grading, complaining that I have too much to do, and wondering why I ever wished for a free period.

Instead, I have time.

Lots and lots of time.

Which got me thinking that what I really need is a side hustle I can do online. If somebody is going to give me five free periods a day and a laptop, there has to be something productive I can build during that time.

An online business? Writing? Something involving education or law? Something completely different?

Hmm.

That’s a problem for another day.

For now, I’ll take the win.

I have a job. I’m receiving my full salary. I have some interaction with students. I have co-workers to talk to. I already found one class I’m genuinely excited about. The school seems organized and willing to enforce its rules.

Would I rather have my own classroom and a full teaching schedule?

Absolutely.

But this is where I am right now.

And compared with all the things I imagined might happen when I got laid off, sitting around occasionally wondering what the hell I’m supposed to do with almost 4 hours of free time isn’t exactly a tragedy.

Could be a lot worse.

So, for now, I’ll take my job satisfaction where I can get it.

And maybe figure out a side hustle.


Aug 23 2026 2026-08-23 2026-08-23 NoComment by Ross

Minor League Baseball FTW!

Posted in Something Good, Sports

At the end of my college career, I stayed in Madison for another year working. One of the fun things we’d do was go to Madison Muskies games, the Class A minor league affiliate of the Oakland A’s.

For $5.25, you got a ticket, two food items, and a drink.

Even in the late ’80s, I’m pretty sure this was not a sustainable business model.

They played in what was essentially a glorified high school stadium, and our favorite bet was whether there would be more runs or errors in a given inning.

Spoiler alert: errors usually won.

It was not good baseball. I have no idea how many of those players ever made it to Oakland. I’m guessing not many. But it was a great time.

A year later, I spent the summer in El Paso with the Army Reserve. I had a pretty chill 9-to-5 job, so at night I’d often head into town to the Dudley Dome—which, despite the name, was not a dome—to watch the Class AA El Paso Diablos, then an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.

I don’t think either the Muskies or the Diablos exist anymore. Too bad.

The Diablos were a step up. Bigger stadium. Better baseball. And, most importantly, 10-cent hot dog nights.

I remember sitting at one of those games when the older couple behind me insisted that I put some of their homemade salsa on my 10-cent hot dogs. I did. It was fantastic.

Think about that for a minute: baseball, cheap tickets, 10-cent hot dogs covered in a stranger’s homemade salsa, and a couple of people I’d never met treating me like we’d been going to games together for years.

What’s not to love?

That’s another thing I’ve always liked about minor league baseball. The fans just seem friendlier. There’s less intensity. Nobody’s acting like the fate of Western civilization depends on whether the home team wins. You’re there to watch some baseball, eat something unhealthy, laugh at whatever ridiculous promotion they’re doing between innings, and enjoy a summer night.

Last year, my wife and I went to a Salt Lake Bees game. Now I was getting closer to the big leagues. The Bees were AAA, affiliated with the Angels. Better players, nicer stadium, better baseball.

But still cheap. Still relaxed. Still fan-friendly.

Then today, my wife and I took two of our kids (against their will) to a Chicago Dogs game.

The Dogs are independent baseball, so we’re heading back down the baseball food chain again.

And the play was…uh…not good.

I’ll forgive a lower-level player for bobbling a line drive. These guys are still infinitely better at baseball than I ever was or ever will be.

But three guys watching a ball drop between them?

That’s pretty bad.

It happened twice by the time we left in the sixth inning.

The opposing pitcher also walked four batters in a row. For the non-baseball fan, that means he walked the bases loaded and then walked in a run. Two batters later, he walked in another one.

Ouch.

But you know what?

I loved it.

The ticket was cheap. Actually, mine was free. Parking was free. Bottomless popcorn was $3.50. Bottomless soda was $3.50. We sat outside on a summer afternoon watching baseball and laughing at some truly questionable fielding.

And it reminded me how much I love minor league baseball.

Maybe even more than Major League Baseball.

Don’t get me wrong. I love going to Wrigley Field. There’s nothing quite like a packed major league stadium, especially when the game matters.

But minor league baseball feels different.

Nobody is charging you $18 for a beer. Nobody needs a second mortgage to take the family. The players aren’t superstars. The stadium isn’t a cathedral. Sometimes three professional baseball players stand around and watch a catchable fly ball hit the ground.

Twice.

And somehow that’s part of the charm.

I’ve been going to these games for almost 40 years now – from the Madison Muskies, to the El Paso Diablos, to the Salt Lake Bees, to the Chicago Dogs.

Different cities. Different teams. Different levels of baseball.

Same basic formula.

Cheap tickets. Cheap food. Friendly people. A summer evening or afternoon at the ballpark.

And every once in a while, if you’re lucky, somebody sitting behind you offers you some homemade salsa for your 10-cent hot dog.

I’ll always be a fan.


Aug 20 2026 2026-08-20 2026-08-20 NoComment by Ross

What If It All Works Out?

Posted in Something Good, Work

I have a print hanging on the wall next to my bed that says: (the one in this post)

What if it all works out?

I see it when I wake up in the morning and again when I go to bed at night. It’s basically twice-daily cognitive behavioral therapy via home décor.

Like a lot of people, I have a pretty healthy negativity bias. Give me an uncertain situation, and I can immediately come up with seventeen different ways it might end badly. What I rarely do is ask the equally plausible question:

What if it all works out?

Which is odd, because I have approximately 60 years of evidence suggesting that it usually does.

Not that everything has gone the way I wanted. Of course it hasn’t. Bad things have happened. Plans have fallen apart. I’ve made mistakes. Other people have made mistakes that I then got to enjoy. But I’ve survived all of it. Sometimes I’ve learned something. Sometimes I’ve changed direction. Sometimes I’ve just said, “Well, that sucked,” and moved on.

But somehow, every new uncertainty arrives, and my brain says, This could be the one! This could be the catastrophe we’ve been preparing for!

My latest example: my job.

After weeks of uncertainty following my layoff, late Monday I finally learned where CPS was assigning me. It’s technically a 30-to-60-day assignment unless the principal asks me to stay. If that doesn’t happen, I’ll probably rotate somewhere else every month or two.

When I saw the school, my immediate reaction wasn’t, “What if this is great?”

Of course not.

I thought it was going to be a rough school. I assumed I’d spend every day as a substitute, bouncing from classroom to classroom. I wondered whether I should just quit.

My brain went straight to Worst Case Scenario Theater, where apparently I have season tickets.

My wife suggested that perhaps I should actually go to the school before deciding it was terrible. I believe her exact wording may have been slightly less gentle than that. At the time, I interpreted this as an appalling lack of support.

Unfortunately, as happens far too often for my liking, she was right.

So Tuesday morning I showed up.

And everyone was nice.

I met administrators and teachers. I sat through professional development. People welcomed me. More importantly, I learned they didn’t want me to spend my days randomly substituting. Instead, they assigned me classes to co-teach.

The next day I helped with orientation, met more people, learned my way around the building, and got an even better feel for the place.

And now?

I’m actually excited about being there.

I’m still going to give it the 30 days before making any declarations, but at the moment I can absolutely see myself asking to stay for the year.

Once again:

What if it all works out?

Because it did.

And all that worrying accomplished exactly nothing.

Actually, in some ways this assignment may be better than my old job. I have three classes instead of five. I’m co-teaching, so I don’t have to do all the lesson planning or grading. I have five free periods during the day, which is almost absurd. I’ll probably get bored, but I recognize that “I have too much free time at my full-salary teaching job” is not going to generate much sympathy.

And because I’m technically a short-term reassigned teacher, I’m probably not going to be handed a bunch of long-term projects or extra responsibilities.

Three classes. No grading. No lesson planning. Five free periods.

I may have accidentally stumbled into the greatest teaching job in America.

There is a part of me that still wishes I had a permanent position. I like working. I like feeling productive. I like being part of a team and having something that feels like mine. In fact, I may ask around and see if another teacher wants some help for a period or two. Five free periods might eventually cause me to start wandering the halls asking strangers, “Anybody need anything laminated?”

But that’s a pretty good problem to have.

A few days ago, I was imagining all the ways this assignment could be awful.

Today, I’m thinking it might be pretty great.

That’s why the print stays next to my bed.

I’m apparently a slow learner.

But twice a day, I get the reminder:

What if it all works out?


Aug 17 2026 2026-08-17 2026-08-17 NoComment by Ross

How Do People Manage?….

Posted in Work

I had to participate in a Google Meeting today.  I don’t know how people manage to stay alive.

First, turn off your mic in a group meeting unless you are speaking.  I thought that was common freaking sense.

Second, and maybe the bigger one, PAY THE FORK ATTENTION.   I can’t tell you how many times someone asked a question that was already asked and answered.  Like multiple times.

Third, again, PAY ATTENTION.  Someone asked for a copy of the slides….uh, they were included in the invitation email.  You already have a copy, Tool.

This meeting took WAY longer than it needed to because of people asking the same question or a stupid question.

SMH


Aug 14 2026 2026-08-14 2026-08-14 NoComment by Ross

Things I Like Wednesday (now on Friday)…

Posted in Books, Comics, Podcasts, Television, Things I Like, Utah

TV Shows:

Seeking Persephone – Peacock.  My wife started watching this, and I sort of got hooked.  Period drama. – Warning: this is not actually a great show.  The last episode had us hate watching it was so bad.  Also, fun drinking game: every time a character is staring pensively out a window, take a drink.  You’ll be HAMMERED!

Generation War – Amazon Prime.  Now THIS is five-star watching.  Amazinginly well done story of five friends during WWII (from the German perspective).

Agent Kim Reactivated – Netflix.  I’ve heard it described as John Wick meets Taken (Korean Drama)

Little House on the Prairie – Netflix.  Again, wife got me watching.  It’s enjoyable.

Tires – Season 3 – Netflix

Books:

Joe Pickett series – C.J. Box – I’ve been crushing through these.  Game warden in Montana.

Fourth Wing – Rebecca Yarros.   There were a few pages I could’ve done without (graphic sex scenes), but otherwise a good read.  A bit predictable in all storylines, but overall still a nice summer read.

1942: Hitler’s Gamble For Victory – Richard Hargreaves – Very detailed book. (Sometimes it seems a bit repetitive with the journal entries about the horrors of war, but it’s still a good book)

Comics:

Is Ted OK?  – Mad Cave

Hank Howard: Pizza Detective – Bad Idea

Regicide – Image Comics

Podcasts:

Project Unabomber – We listened to all 8 episodes on the drive to Utah.  I could’ve done without the last episode, but overall it was excellent.

Salt Lake City Restaurants:

Jammy Brunch Club – Holy cow, was this good!  I had trouble choosing one meal because I could’ve ordered the entire menu.

 


Aug 11 2026 2026-08-11 2026-08-11 NoComment by Ross

Something Good: Apparently I Qualify…

Posted in Something Good

On our trip to Utah, my wife and I had dinner with an old friend and her boyfriend. At some point, he mentioned that he gets free tickets to concerts, sporting events, and other things through an organization that distributes donated tickets to military veterans.

He thought my Army Reserve service would qualify. I was skeptical.

I don’t really consider myself a “veteran,” at least not in the legal sense of the word. I spent about 14 years in the Army Reserve, with a few years off in the middle for law school, but I never served 20 years or was activated for federal service. (IIRC, that is the legal definition for veteran status)

I came close once. During Gulf War I, it looked like my unit might get called up. I was notified on a Friday that we would be called up and, because I was part of the advance party, I would go on Monday. Then, over the weekend, some general apparently changed his mind and decided to send a unit from Wisconsin instead. Thanks, Wisconsin.

By Gulf War II, I was already out.

So while I don’t fit the technical definition of “veteran” that applies in some contexts, I did spend a pretty significant chunk of my younger life in the Army Reserve. Drill weekends, annual training, uniforms, early mornings, standing around waiting for someone to tell us why we were standing around – the whole Army experience.

Most normal people would probably call that “serving.”

Anyway, I filed away the conversation and didn’t think much more about it.

Then today, while I was out for a run, I passed a billboard advertising the exact organization he’d been talking about. Well, okay then. When I got home, I looked it up.

Turns out I qualify.

I signed up, went through their verification process, and decided to test the whole thing with something easy. I found two tickets to this week’s MLS game. The tickets themselves were free, although I had to pay $13 for “delivery.”

Thirteen bucks for two MLS tickets? I think I can absorb the financial blow.

And there was a lot more available: Cubs tickets, minor-league baseball, concerts, magic shows, and all sorts of other events.

For now, I’m treating the soccer game as my proof of concept. Let’s see how this works. If everything goes smoothly, maybe I’ll start keeping an eye out for some of the bigger events.

It’s funny how these things happen. A random conversation over dinner in Utah. A billboard spotted while running back home. A website I probably never would have thought I qualified for.

And now my wife and I are going to a soccer game for $13.

Nothing life-changing. Just something good that happened today.

 


Aug 10 2026 2026-08-10 2026-08-10 NoComment by Ross

Random Notes….

Posted in Misc
  • Jon Bernthal plays the same guy in every movie or TV show I’ve ever seen.  In interviews and podcasts, it’s Jon Bernthal.  He has no range.  Sorry, Jon.  I enjoy your work, but it’s Seth Rogan-ish.
  • Chicago traffic sucks ass.  Driving back from Utah, I couldn’t get the math to math on Waze.  I knew how fast I was going and how many miles I had, and I kept calculating that I’d be home an hour earlier than the ETA.  Duh, I forgot that as soon as you hit the Chicago area, you stop moving more than 10 mph.   That was the extra 51 minutes.  Traffic.  I hate this place.
  • Also, the difference between shoppers at my local Chicago grocery store (Kroger-owned) and my Utah grocery stores (both Kroger-owned) is night and day.  Utah?  Easy peasy, in and out, all good.  Chicago?  Everyone blocks aisles, stands talking on their phone, and has out-of-control kids running around.  Again, I hate this place.
  • Saw The Odyssey this weekend.  It was fine.  Just fine.  Not to sound like a snob, but I liked the book much better.  Also saw the new Spider-Man movie.  I liked that a lot.
  • When I was a freshman in high school, I was in the War Games Club.  We’d play all sorts of games, mostly produced by Avalon Hill.  I loved that club.  Sure, it had nerds (like me) who were making their own chain mail, but we’d play Diplomacy, Jutland, Squad Leader, and other games.   I miss those games.  I saw that I can buy those old games for cheaper than I thought on eBay, but I’ll never play them because nobody I know does.  But I think I might buy those just to have them again.
  • My wife wanted to revisit one of our favorite shows: Sports Night.  We watched the first two episodes on Amazon Prime, and it has not aged well.  Not in the “woke” way, just in the cliché way.  It’s an Aaron Sorkin show, and it’s obvious.  The banter/writing style (sort of Mamet-esque), the walk and talk, and the earnestness of a situation (guy wakes up his kid to watch some guy break a track record as the entire studio is watching breathlessly).  It’s corny and stale.  Kind of a bummer.  I watched two episodes of Justified the other day (one of my favorite shows), and while it isn’t corny and stale, it didn’t seem as amazing as the first time I saw it.
  • Still laid off.  In fact, I received notice of the reassigned teacher pool mandatory meeting next Monday.  CPS and the union (of which I am not a member) claim they are still working on reversing the layoffs, but I haven’t heard anything.  Since there is nothing I can do about it, I’ll let the anxiety flow out and go about my life.

 


Aug 06 2026 2026-08-06 2026-08-06 NoComment by Ross

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner….

Posted in Something Good

This morning I received an email informing me that I was selected as a winner for completing a survey about the last half-Ironman race I did.  My first thought is it was a scam.  But I checked it out, and it wasn’t.  With this selection, I was given a FREE entry to ANY Ironman 70.3 I wanted in 2027.  That’s a big deal.  That’s worth $510.03 (according to the website).  SWEET.

I chose the same race I did this year.  I really enjoyed the race; it’s convenient being 90 minutes from my house, and it’s about one or two weeks after school gets out (assuming I’m working somewhere).

That’s definitely my “something good” for today.


Aug 02 2026 2026-08-02 2026-08-02 NoComment by Ross

On the Road Again…

Posted in Life

This summer break has been pretty much everything I needed it to be.

It didn’t exactly start that way. The week before the Rockford 70.3 was stressful. I was nervous about the race, questioning my training, questioning why I do these things to myself, and generally doing all the things you’re probably not supposed to do during a taper.

Then I raced.

I had decided to treat the race as my Misogi – a challenge hard enough that I wasn’t entirely sure I could pull it off. And I did. I didn’t just finish it. I did what I wanted to do there. I challenged myself, nailed it, and walked away feeling like I’d proved whatever it was I needed to prove to myself.

And then summer really started.

Two weeks later, we went to Michigan with the family and my in-laws. There was nothing particularly exotic about it, which was exactly the point. Pool. Reading. Kayaking. Family games. Dinners together. Sitting around. Talking. Laughing.

It was wonderful.

Then I had a few weeks at home before heading west to Utah.

Usually, I’m a Point A to Point B driver. The purpose of a road trip is to get to the place where the road trip ends. This time my wife came with me, and we slowed down a little. We stopped along the way. We took our time—well, *my* version of taking our time—and actually enjoyed the trip instead of treating I-80 like a problem to be solved.

Then we had a fantastic week together in Utah.

After she flew home, my college roommate and best friend came out for another week. Between the two weeks there was kayaking, tubing, hiking, dinners, movies, a comedy club, donuts and assorted other activities that mostly revolved around the question, “What should we do today?”

For that first week, I was probably 100 percent present.

The second week? Maybe 75 percent.

Part of me was tethered to home through my wife, and part of me was tethered to the increasingly bizarre job situation waiting for me in Chicago. That’s okay. Seventy-five percent present is still pretty good. I’ve spent plenty of weeks in my life at about 12 percent.

And now everyone is gone.

I’m still in Utah. I still have the mountains. I still have the pool and the kayak and the bike and the hiking trails. I could stay longer.

But I’m ready to go home.

I’ll start driving tomorrow morning. I haven’t decided whether I’ll make it a two-day or three-day trip. I could take my time, stop somewhere interesting, enjoy the journey.

That sounds lovely.

It also sounds absolutely nothing like me.

I’ll probably get in the car, point it east and immediately begin calculating whether I can shave eleven minutes off Google Maps’ estimate.

But I’m ready.

I LOVE being out here. Utah restores something in me. The mountains, sunshine, open space and slower pace do me a tremendous amount of good.

But I’ve also realized something over these last few days.

The pool is better with my wife sitting next to me.

Kayaking is better when someone else is paddling nearby.

Hikes are better when there’s someone to talk to.

Dinner is definitely better when I’m not sitting at a table by myself scrolling through my phone.

All of these things I love – mountains, bikes, kayaks, hikes, restaurants, movies—are really just settings. The people are what make them experiences.

So the summer did exactly what I needed it to do.

I challenged myself. I rested. I read. I exercised. I spent time outside. I spent time with family. I spent time with an old friend. I laughed a lot. I ate some very good food and probably too many donuts. I spent long stretches without worrying about what I was supposed to be doing next.

I feel restored.

And maybe that’s how you know a vacation has done its job.

You don’t desperately want to stay.

You’re ready to go home.

So tomorrow I’ll point the car east toward Chicago, toward my wife, toward whatever strange adventure the job situation has waiting for me.

There will be considerably fewer mountains.

But the company will be better.


Jul 26 2026 2026-07-26 2026-07-26 by Ross

Sometimes the Best Things Weren’t on the Itinerary….

Posted in Movies, Something Good, Utah

One of the things we’ve always tried to do with our place in Utah is strike a balance between the familiar and the new. We’ve had our favorite places for years now. Favorite hikes. Favorite lakes. Favorite restaurants. We always seem to end up back at the same bakery, the same trails, the same scenic overlooks. But every trip we also make a point of trying something we’ve never done before.

Over the years, that’s led us to minor league baseball games, Real Salt Lake matches, Utah Mammoth hockey, junior hockey, new restaurants in Park City and Salt Lake City, and all sorts of little adventures that never would have happened if we’d just stuck to our routine.

Last night was one of those “let’s try something different” moments.

Park City Film was hosting a screening at the library of a documentary called Best Day Ever. I’d seen a short news story about it beforehand and thought it sounded interesting. The film was produced by the Kelly Brush Foundation, which helps people with spinal cord injuries and other disabilities stay active through adaptive sports.

I’m really glad we went.

The documentary follows the construction of Vermont’s first adaptive mountain bike trail and centers on adaptive cyclist Greg Durso. Calling him inspirational almost feels like selling him short. His personality practically bounces off the screen. More importantly, he’s simply an incredible athlete. Watching him ride terrain that I wouldn’t even attempt on two fully functioning legs was equal parts humbling and exhilarating.

The film also follows a young woman, Allie, who was paralyzed in a mountain biking accident as she returns to ride the very trail where her life changed forever. Her courage wasn’t loud or dramatic. It was simply matter-of-fact. This happened. Life changed. Now let’s keep living.

If *Best Day Ever* comes to a theater near you or starts streaming somewhere, I can’t recommend it enough. Stay for the credits if you can.

In our case, there was a panel discussion afterward. I was a little disappointed that Greg Durso and Allie couldn’t make it, but two local adaptive athletes took part instead, including Wally Lee.

His story hit me hard.

Wally was married with children when he was paralyzed. Years later, his wife developed cancer and eventually passed away. He wasn’t selling inspiration. He wasn’t pretending every day was wonderful. In fact, he specifically acknowledged that not every day is the “best day ever.” But when he talked about taking one last bike ride with his wife before she died……I just reached over and held my own wife’s hand.

Moments like that hit my gratitude bone. I’m grateful that I can walk. Grateful that I have my health. Grateful that my wife was sitting beside me.

But there was another lesson that was somehow even more comforting.

We all imagine certain things as the absolute worst that could happen to us. Paralysis. Losing a spouse. Catastrophic life changes. And yet here were person after person showing that even after those things happened, life wasn’t over.

They weren’t asking for pity.

They weren’t asking for sympathy.

They were busy living.

Laughing.

Riding bikes.

Helping others.

Finding purpose.

Finding joy.

It was unbelievably uplifting.

The evening also clarified something I’ve been thinking about as retirement gets closer.

I’ve said for a while that when I’m done teaching, I want to spend my time around people who actually want to be where they are. Maybe that’s a ski resort. Maybe a cooking school. Maybe a pool. After last night, I could absolutely see myself volunteering with Utah’s National Ability Center, helping people learn to ski or ride adaptive bikes—especially wounded veterans.

There is so much meaningful work to be done in the world. It doesn’t all happen inside bureaucracies.

Sometimes it happens on a bike trail.

Sometimes it happens in a volunteer organization.

Sometimes it happens on the third floor of a public library.

And sometimes you stumble into exactly what you needed simply because you decided to try something new.