I feel like I've forgotten how to write a poem

Like seriously, I've sat down to write so many times in the last several days, multiple times today, and faced a blank mind. Zephyr went down for a "nap" today at 4:15 (later than usual, but I was toying with the idea of taking him to a birthday party tonight so I thought, eh, I'll let him sleep and then he'll have fun coming out with me.) And now it's after 11 and he's still snoring on the monitor. I guess he went to bed early. Soooo...here I am. I should really go to bed because he's gonna wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at like 4am. But I haven't written a poem. And I just...you guys...I feel like I don't have a poem in me. I'm not sure what's going on. So I'll just abuse this forum to write you all a letter, like in the old days.

Dear Friends,

I was doing super well with the Facebook restriction on my laptop--I give myself 20 minutes a day, which is just enough time to take a break or communicate with people who don't email, and then I get cut off. I was feeling more energy and focus generally for doing other things. But when Mike is out of town, I find I get worse. Instead of going to bed, I use up my laptop's 20 minutes and then I reach for my phone and scroll for like an hour on the tiny little screen. I'm worse then Zephyr when there's nobody around to MAKE me brush my teeth, go potty, put on my pjs and turn out the damn light. At least now I'm reading a good book so I have a meatier alternative if I can convince myself to commit to not going to bed "in just 5 minutes."

What else did I do today? I completed and mailed my LMHCA application (that's "Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate"; I get the "A" off once I complete my 3000 hours and then I'll take an exam and then send off another application and become a proper LMHC.) So that's the first step to embracing this new job thing, and also starting the timer on my license. The associate license expires on my birthday, and I am allowed to renew it no more than six times. If I don't complete my hours in those 6.5 years, then I never get to have that license. Like, ever, unless I get another Master's degree in counseling. HOWEVER! There's NO problem with applying for a different license, like the LMFTA, and continuing to gather hours under that one for another 6-7 years. There doesn't seem to be much practical difference between the two licenses, slightly different education requirements but you are permitted to treat exactly the same patients with exactly the same techniques. So the time limit is really...I don't even know why it's there. Still, I guess it provides some focus and urgency to the "associate" stage of one's career. Oh the system.

Did you all get the invitation to that workshop with Robin Di'Angelo at the end of April? Let me know if you didn't. I'm super excited about it. She has a nuanced and hopeful take on where race relations in this country have ended up and why, and how to talk about them. You should come if you can, if you're even a little bit interested! And even more so if you're feeling annoyed or wary. You won't regret it, I promise.

What else is going on in my life? I have a list of to-dos to write for the co-housing book project that Molly and I have been talking about writing. I haven't written any of it yet, though. Maybe THAT's what I should work on and post here. If I don't have poems in me right now, maybe I have essays. Actually yeah. That's it! Tomorrow's blankaday will be one of my chapter summaries. That'll get me started on a project I'm curious about and need some momentum for.

Ok. I'm so glad we sorted that out. Thanks for listening to me ramble, Blankaday crew. Something completely different tomorrow.

XO
Alissa