I sometimes wonder why I never wrote a blog last year. Even yet, I can't believe I waited until now to publicly record these interesting events or thoughts on the state of the society we live in. I guess part of the reason I've avoided doing this thing that I've said I'd do for so long is because I never wanted to feel censored. Putting my thoughts out here for the world (or those few friends I've invited) to see requires me to consciously consider each word I write carefully. Doing that would cause my feelings to be less authentic.
With that in mind, I think I've come up with a solution - I'll write and post pictures of my adventures here in this fantastic city (even trying to back log them). I'll even include thoughts on the happenings of the world on this blog. But when it comes to personal struggles and things dealing with my personal life, I'll have to keep them in a journal for me to look back on when this entire experience is over. Sure this is the obvious solution, but the problem before was finding the time and having the discipline to do both. I'm pretty sure I have the capacity now to keep both up.
There has definitely been a soundtrack to my life here in New Orleans. Weird how I can think back to any time period in my life and think of a song to adequately describe that time. Take senior year at Mercer, for example. That year, Kanye West's "Graduation" album came out. Corny as it seem, for him to release an album called "Graduation" the year I was to graduate from college somehow spoke to me. I connected with every song on that album for some reason. Because of that year, he remains one of my favorite rappers (even if he is a jerk).
As for the first year of teaching, I'd have to go with Earth, Wind, and Fire's "Devotion". Ironically, they wrote the song for teachers. I'm not sure if they were aware of the troubles teachers in the Greater New Orleans region faced, but damn that song really gives me the strength to keep going. "For you here's a song to make your day brighter/ One that will last you long through trouble days/ Giving your heart the light to brighten/ All of the dark that falls in your way."
This past year has been a challenge, but it's been worth it.
