Until Summer in the Park(s) is over. Three long weeks. Today it threatened to rain – we were at Amoosement Park. We had an obstacle course – just two children ran it. The course items consisted of hula hoops, stepping stones, a balance beam, a Bosu ball, a Pilates ball, another set of hula hoops, and a ball toss.

The most interesting thing of all was that a little girl, age 5 or 6, did the course and did it better each time. This was what I wanted to see/was my dream, to assist children in making the mind/body connection.

The mind part – coloring a balance related coloring sheet, then listening to a children’s story about Philippe, the tightrope walker, walk between the twin towers. The children then piled up plastic cups, seeing how tall they could make their towers, then did the obstacle course.

I do not know in the future if we’ll be able to do this again – time and weather and finance permitting – but as I have said repeatedly, the program has been a huge success in terms of curriculum.

Now I know that I, who had the initial idea for this, am considered to be an ineffectual dolt – I don’t seem to be with it all the time. I just stay out of everyone’s way. But I remind myself when I feel this way that I was the one who had the idea for this project and I was the one who got the grants and I was the one who saw making the mind/body connection as being all important.

The project, and this program have come a long ways since the inception of both. And they may go further yet. But I need a salary and a co-worker.

The co-worker needs to be someone who is easy to get along with and also has either a book or a library background. I don’t hold out hope for this because I am hopeless. But the program has gotten this far, making the odds such that we will find someone. The word odds makes me think of the saying, “The odds are good, but the goods are odd.”

Chin up, I tell myself when I feel this ineffectual. I also have support here on the homefront. Pete at times seems shocked when I complain about the onerous workload or the lack of pay.

I am more optimistic after I have eaten. When it comes to putting together a lunch, I have no imagination. I stuff a banana and an orange in a paper bag in the morning and call it good, thinking that I will never be hungry again. I always am.

I have to do something about this – heaven forbid, go to the big box store with Pete and outfit myself in something eye catching, like a safari suit. And while in the supermarket, stalk the gouda, which in color resembles a lion.

Tomorrow, rain for Friday fling day. It’s raining now; no horseback riding tonight.

Next: 193. 7/17/26: Bleak