I’m worn out. Perhaps I should start there. I’m exhausted. We’ve had a literary event every day this week at Jones, and I’ve basically coordinated the whole week. I think this is called going the extra ten miles for the job. The stress, fatigue, and general worry of it all have hit me hard today.
I don’t feel bad about any event. The speakers were fantastic. The students seemed to have a great time and real learning experiences as well. Absolutely, I believe that these kinds of events make all the difference in the college experience. I believe in them. I believe what we put on this week was good, and even incredible. Kate Campbell, who sang and spoke about writing, writers, and Southern culture yesterday, was in every way amazing. She was the best guest speaker we’ve ever had on writing and literature, and maybe ever at all.
All that said, I’m ready to quit. I don’t mean quit the job. I mean quit the extra ten miles going into the job. Basically, I think I’m going to have to quit trying to coordinate events and books clubs and workshops and all of the other things I’ve been doing because the people on my campus who ought to care the most about those things don’t care at all. Zero support, zero participation from too many people who should have been first on board to help out. So I’m done. I can’t keep beating my head against brick walls. Take it from here on your own, people. Or not. Whatever. I don’t have any fight left in me.
