Crows.

I welcome the slight chill in the air. A little bit of respite after the mini heatwave.

I run back out to grab coffee and treats for the team meeting. I like having our meetings here. It feels like a safer space for problem-solving.

Fear is behind the hesitation. How do we remove the fear? Who is willing to provide the support? I realize no one has soothed the worry by offering to help. Note to self.

A missed call. A text to call when I have a chance. It keeps buzzing. Something is up.

Really, all of this is an experiment.

Eighty-four messages.

I unlock the gym and turn on the lights. My water bottle is not here. Where could it be? I must have left it at a stadium, somewhere out of town where no one knows who I am.

Fifth Grade Parent Night in the middle school library. I sit at a table with a group of mothers from little league. She says something about dropping a diva cup and it looking like a murder scene in the bathroom. We burst out laughing. I don’t think I’ve laughed this hard in months.

Two of my favorite people in the valley. I tell them that I’m worried about remembering how to connect the hoses. They remind me that there are always punch downs. I can definitely still do punch downs. And clean a tank.

I tell him that I realize that the other gift in this whole coaching thing is just being another trustworthy adult in a child’s life.