My day vs. John's day

There are some days when I am just so glad to be who I am, a part-time middle school art teacher, and not somebody else, such as a person like  John, who works at a university where he is currently the head of a search committee, in charge of multiple graduate students, and chairperson of the university press. Today he fielded multiple head-achey emails and phone conversations, while I, on the other hand:

Haha! I just noticed the paint isn't even dry on this. I'm a terrible art teacher.

Spontaneously decided that all 8th graders could ditch their current project in favor of dressing up as a forest, which was their awesome choice.

 

 It was Halloween! Now a full-fledged holiday! I can't believe we don't take this day off. We don't get mail on Columbus Day-October-whatever-and yet THIS is a regular day? Ridiculous.

They insisted that I be the lone deciduous tree. Second from the right, lame. They dressed me head to foot. Much later I transformed into an Aztec god. Or a chicken. A shy, responsible student took this picture.

 In 45 minutes flat they created this, circled the school peering into windows, and returned in time to ditch the crepe paper and painted green cardboard. Fabulously, a police car pulled into the driveway JUST as we took this picture, its lights flashing. "I KNEW we would get into trouble " I yelled at my students. But of course the officer rolled down his/her windows and waved at us cheerfully. (Corvallis Police Department, I love you.)

 Then I came home and walked Ed and Reub in the beautiful damp early evening. I know I'm lucky.