I get a break in my work day. It’s not a lunch break, for I stay with the students and eat my sun butter and jelly sandwich right alongside them. My break comes later. Thirty minutes. Enough time for a moment to myself, but not so much time that I become engaged in other matters. I sit with my back against the building and begin to observe my surroundings. Cars parked in the lot. Garbage dumpsters in view. A pebble in the crack of a sidewalk. I am pleased to observe life, typically overlooked in the hustle of a day. I have this moment. I see life growing out of weathered cement. Colorful pebbles and peeling paint become my companions. Nearby, the railroad tracks call to me.  A bug becomes my friend.

I am thankful for these moments and feel at peace.