Sucking Blood

I am a vampire, roaming the earth seeking my life source.  It’s not blood I’m after, that’s far too simple of an answer for a creature like me.  It’s not love, either, that’s too Hallmark and Hollywood, if you know what I mean.  I am not soulless though.  The Professor and my boys are a source of nourishment in every sense.  Even with all my good fortune, I still need more.  I moved our family back to California thinking it was sunshine I was after.  I feel sorry for the vampires who search in either the most predictable places (sigh) or the oddest.  I’ve discovered it’s not in the California sunshine, nor is it in wine bottles, gyms or shopping malls.  Intellectually, I get the message:  The energy I am seeking comes from within.  Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Vampires don’t suck their own blood.

Then something wonderful happened.  The good people of La Jolla recruited me to help our schools.  I have volunteered in leadership positions for over ten years and was on hiatus from the public education crisis while we were in Ithaca for two years.  Since we’ve been back, I’ve been avoiding the noise by writing checks and apologizing profusely to my friends.  I was a burn out.  I rolled my eyes.  I snickered.  I almost went nuts when the parent, sitting poolside on a weekday last summer, explained to me how she couldn’t afford to give the whole $1,000 per child that the school was trying to raise, and then in the next breath told me about their vacation to Hawaii and how she was planning to take her son to Disneyland as a pre back-to-school treat.  I thought I was going to strangle a middle-aged woman right there in someone’s backyard.  How could I effectively lead a group of volunteers from a jail cell?

This year, I couldn’t refuse.  I’ve been to a few meetings already and started feeling the energy in my veins.  This community amazes me and inspires me.  I found myself laughing again and enjoying the company of the other volunteers.  These are not rich ladies who lunch.  Okay, a few are.  But most of them have careers, or work inside the home, or both.  They show up and they get shit done.  I love it.  I realized I have been too focused on the negative.  I have to let go of the people who don’t give.  I have found it in my heart to not blame the less fortunate.  Either they are clueless and wander around not knowing half of what’s going on, or worse, they know but feel like they are not in a position to give, either time or money.  I can’t imagine feeling that locked up.  Nowhere to run or hide except maybe at Disneyland and even that only lasts for a day, two if you’re charging it.

I can’t remember if vampires can see themselves in mirrors or not.  Doesn’t matter.  If my good luck continues, I’ll be like all the energized, happy souls around me.