“Do you need some help?” Brooke heard while an outstretched arm reached out to her from above the dusty fold-up card table.

When I was relatively new to my career as a literacy staff developer, I counted the Dunkin Donuts that I passed as I drove over the George Washington Bridge and the Whitestone Bridge, traveling from New Jersey to Queens, where I would order a scooped-out toasted plain bagel with cream cheese and a coffee light and sweet from Utopia Bagels all before starting a day of work with teachers. I didn’t mind the commute, especially because street parking was plentiful—a New York miracle. 

Hidden away on the top shelf in my home office sits a picture frame. It’s an ordinary picture frame: blue, wooden molding, and an overall worn-out vintage feel (even though it’s from Target).

When my son, Hunter, was a kindergartener, I attended the funeral of his beloved hermit crab, Burton, who lived a relatively short life in an expensive tank on a dresser next to a lego set in the shape of Darth Vader. The array of perfectly cut organic grapes went untouched in Burton’s tank for days, and my family could not recall the last time he moved.

You might know Anthony Ramos, the star of the film version of In the Heights. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, he got fired from a performance, and Lin-Manuel Miranda hired him on the same day.

“Maybe I have time to draft one more email,” I thought as I scanned my weekly to-do list while Hunter tapped on the door of my home office. It was almost Sunday at 3:00 pm, marking the time to stop working, but I could easily fit in one more message.

“Good thing I found you before the guards sent out the dogs,” the soldier said as he held out his hand and carefully helped me down the truck steps onto the ground. My parents shouted in unison, “Our mishap is over,” gesturing for me to walk towards them so we could finally go back to the hotel.

For years, I drove up and down the New Jersey Turnpike to lead professional development in schools. Sometimes, I flew back and forth across the country to do the same thing the next day.

During my early years as a staff developer, I wanted to learn how to run. I liked the idea of running. The thought of taking on a new hobby made me excited.