This has been a time of change and transition for me. Earlier in the month I had my final meeting with the Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE) Commission, completing 3 1/4 years of service to the State Bar vetting judicial candidates. While I’m glad to have more time to do other things (it is a substantial volunteer commitment, commissioners put in many hours for each candidate investigation, vetting approximately 12 candidates a year, and that doesn’t include the time spent at meetings every other month) I’m going to miss the people I’ve worked with during this time, especially my class and the amazing State Bar JNE staff. It’s strange to think that I’ll no longer see those folks on a regular basis and some I will likely never see again. It has been an incredible experience, where I’ve learned so much from the fantastic people I’ve met – commissioners, staff and candidates. I’m also so proud that California has such a wealth of astounding legal professionals who want to serve their communities.
I decided to fly via LAX for my last JNE meeting so that I could check out the Welcome Blanket exhibit there. Wow – I was blown away by the time and love put into those gorgeous blankets! It sure raised my spirits and motivated me to finish both of the blankets I had started. On Saturday I mailed them off to be distributed to immigrant families.
Thinking about my final JNE meeting and people immigrating to the US, I was reminded of earlier transitions in my life. Over the weekend I went to a couple of events in celebration of Eagle Peak Montessori School’s 25th anniversary. This was the elementary school my kids attended and was such an important part of their academic and social growth. I was so happy to see the foundation that I helped establish was still going strong especially since the school that has now expanded through 8th grade. Seeing the current families and kids brought back memories of when my kids were there. When I walked through the garden and saw the bricks we purchased as a fundraiser it made me a little sad realizing how much I’ve lost touch with a lot of folks who were such an integral part of my family’s life back then. It’s got me thinking about reconnecting with old friends, maybe trying to plan a get together.
Other changes include some unexpected shifts at the nonprofit where I work, an organization that I thought was going to be relatively stable at least for the next year or so. Finding out about a friend’s son who is dealing with mental health issues that are understandably really having an impact on her. My sister’s dog died suddenly and completely unexpectedly, and it’s been really, really challenging for them. Reaching out to a friend in New Zealand, after hearing about the flooding in Wellington and finding out that while the flooding did not impact her home, she was diagnosed with breast cancer the day before. So lots of unexpected changes and expected transitions. As I’ve said several times, you just never know what’s going to happen.
All of this has left me feeling a little unmoored and unsure. I’m still trying to figure out a career plan that will work for me. I’ve been wanting to take on another part time position, something that would be a new challenge for me. And while I have found several part-time jobs which sound interesting, the pay is so low it doesn’t seem worth it – I’d end up spending most of the money I earned on healthcare. If that is the case, I’d much rather spend my time volunteering, helping out my mom, doing art and working on my book. Though I am going through real ups and downs with the book. Sometimes I feel like I’m making progress. Other times, I feel like it’s not working at all, and I’ll never get anywhere with it. I wonder why I’m spending my time on it. That is really challenging for me as I want to feel like I’m spending my time productively. I know that I need to make more of an effort to meditate regularly, even if it’s only five or ten minutes every couple of days. When I do it often has a calming effect, helping me deal with anxiety and the frustration I feel about myself. But I have to make sure to put it on my calendar or I forget to do it. Crazy when it’s something that I know has a positive impact on my life!
I’ve been making an effort to get out to live music events. I just love the energy of the bands and the crowds. I saw an energetic band called Teal’s After Party at the Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley – surprisingly enough this was my first time going to live music at the Sweetwater, despite it being a Mill Valley institution. They played a great mix of 70s and 80s funk, rock and pop, with a few more recent songs as well. The really cool thing was that I knew the lead singer, Teal Collins, she grew up around the corner! I will definitely keep them on my radar.
Though The Junction pizza/beer place has been in Tam Valley for several years, I hadn’t been there and only recently found out that they often have bands playing in their outdoor patio space. In fact, my 40th high school reunion will be held there in October! There was a fantastic group playing country/folk music the other night. It was a sunny evening after several days of rain and everyone (especially the kids with pizza sauce all over their faces) were having a blast.
My third live music event was further afield in Fair Oaks where I went with a couple of my sisters and one of their friends to see ForeJour, a Foreigner-Journey tribute band. It was a fantastic night! We were in the outdoor amphitheater at the Fair Oaks Performing Arts Center, a fairly new venue. It was a cooler evening than expected, but once the band started playing and we were dancing and singing, we quickly warmed up. It was one of the few times I’ve been to a venue where the line for the men’s room was longer than the line for the women’s! I think because there were a lot of men in the audience and they were all of an age where their prostates didn’t work so well anymore and they were drinking a lot of beer! There was plenty of room to stand up and dance at your seat, or in front of the stage. The crowd was totally into it, singing along to our favorite songs. It looks like they’ve got quite a few different tribute bands playing during the summer, so I expect we will be coming back soon.
Rosco and I got out on many walks including one where we saw a woman walking her dog and her bird in a clear backpack!
I’ve been out on a few solo hikes. One was a docent led one at Deer Island in Novato, a place I had not yet explored. While we didn’t see as much wildlife as we had hoped (we speculated that they had a busy night on Friday and were sleeping in!), it was fun to check out a new area. Afterwards I gave a ride to a young woman visiting from Switzerland in order to improve her English. I was very impressed with her English skills! I also stopped at the Levee Rd trail in Davis on my way to my sisters place. It is such a luscious hike!
Now that my JNE commitment has ended, I’ve got time to volunteer for other organizations. One place is SPARE, a new, local nonprofit that sells used art supplies. I spent an enjoyable afternoon with a few other volunteers sorting out donated spools of thread while listening to 50s and 60s tunes. It was really enjoyable and great to see the fruits of our labor! I’ve also been helping out with food distribution at a local low-income senior housing complex. It’s a very busy and efficient group, who are very sweet. Once we get the food bagged up local high school kids pick it up and deliver it to the seniors. I’m hoping this is something I can continue to do on a regular basis.
My mom is very happy because the Giants beat the Dodgers in two out of three of their series games, and now they’ve just won their latest series at home. I do wish I enjoyed watching baseball on TV, so I could do that with her, but it usually bores me to tears.