Tickle Me Emo

School events can be a lot like a National Geographic nature show.

Go to your next one with that image in mind. It might be the only thing that saves you from losing your mind. Or pulling the fire alarm. Or asking the students where the best place to score some weed is.

Yesterday was measured out in minutes. Working at my desk, trying to distract my mind from losing my shit, getting really involved in what I was doing, and then wiping away the tears as they fell onto my keyboard.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

So it wasn't necessarily a welcome idea when I picked the kids up and my daughter reminded me of the art exhibit and band concert at 6:30.

I face each day with a finite amount of energy. By the time we reached the school, I was well beyond empty.

So that's where my 'observational status' came in. I sat down in the corner on the floor with my daughter and watched the herd go by. The pack leaders made sure to weave their way through the crowd, standing tall and trying to look important. There were the mothers guiding their calves, wary of trouble; the fathers walking around the perimeter, wondering why they were there, and the skulking students like hyenas, deciding who they would tear apart next.

Then there was me, making my mental notes, keeping my mind busy and my mouth shut. I knew that at any moment the herd might scatter and run me into the ground.