Friday was the last day of classes for the semester at the dance school where I teach. My charges are all pretty much the most adorable things ever, and they bring a lot of joy and humor to each week. I teach 6 short classes a week, 5 of them are hip-hop classes for boys, and one is ballet and tap for girls. All of my days are different, with various rehearsals, classes, administrative work, freelance writing, all finely balanced in order to make this artist-life possible. I like all of the work I do, (actually love most of it), but teaching those little munchkins brings something to my days that the other stuff doesn't. The kids remind me to marvel at the world, to ask the first question that pops into my head about whatever subject I'm randomly thinking about, and to make up wild stories about Silver -Surfers rocket-mobile with no middle or ending, just because it's fun. Mostly, they remind me to laugh. I mean, look at them. Adorbs.
It's summer time in the city and everyone I know is seeking (or planning to seek) refuge near water, no matter how grungy or glamorous the source may be. Lucky ducks! They have a whole stream all to themselves. I've never seen a lil famblee of ducks so close up in real life, so when I caught sight of them I was enchanted! It really was quite amazing to watch the call and response between the mother and her chicks. She would honk and the chicks would stop whatever water game they were playing and swim or hop right back into her radius of warmth and protection.
