My Cardboard Balcony

by Belinda Roddie Once upon a time, on a cold and rainy day in Philadelphia, Jocelyn Desmond Morton and Christopher William Morton celebrated their marriage and I got to be the matron of honor. I also gave a speech. Aaaaaaaaaaaand that's all you're getting out of me today. Congratulations, Jocelyn and Kit!

Haven't been able to get OneWord to load on my computer or phone. Oh, well.

It's been a really rough couple of weeks for me, folks. There's been a lot of negativity at my job. Stressed out students, pissed off yearbook staff. I have been sassed at, yelled at, and disrespected. I have had students cry in front of me, and I myself have fought back tears in front of friends and colleagues. It has not been a good time. And while I try to be a generally optimistic person at work, it's been nearly impossible given the climate I'm working in. Not only that, but either 1. No one's reading my blog anymore, or 2. Something's changed in terms of page tracking on Blogger or in the Facebook algorithm. My blog views have absolutely plummeted in the past few days. Now, I know that no matter who's reading my stuff, I will continue to write and post it, but having at least 1,500-2,000 views per month meant a lot to me. I truly felt like people enjoyed my writing and got something out of it. Now? I'm not so sure. But do you want to know w...

Haven't been able to get OneWord to load on my computer or phone. Oh, well.

Maybe Try Siri by Belinda Roddie Okay, Google: Where can I find the Fountain of Youth?

I Am Alive by Belinda Roddie I am alive! And finally, I'm free. I can relax for the first time in weeks, and while I never feel fully at ease, I say some sunshine in skies mostly bleak. I feel like I can run a marathon and still have energy to strike a pose. I can remember good dreams, carry on fun conversations, and create strong prose. I can, at long last, feel my heartbeat slow as I descend to a deep, calming sleep, and yes, while circumstance has helped, I know the other cause is company I keep. Yes, my love, you, too, are responsible for my delight. You are so beautiful.

I will never fly a plane. I will never shoot a handgun. I will never build a spaceship that propels me to the edge of Jupiter and back. I will never bake a wedding cake. I will never fix any of my mistakes. And I will never regret finally saying goodbye to you. Because you never tried to learn. And you never tried to love. And you never seemed to remember just how much, for you, I gave up.