'what's the world got in store'

come on baby,
somehow, I need you
do I have to show you how, baby?
--wilco


this is my home.
this is the view from my house ['chief's tent', as it is known to my guys].

I live in the woods with nine teenage boys.
most have been court ordered here.
some just have nowhere else to go.
all of them have been deemed hopeless at one point or another in their short lives.

one is an aspiring artist.
one can whistle any song you can think of on perfect pitch.
one makes me laugh harder than anyone I've ever met before.
a couple can't sleep unless I tuck them in at night.
others won't get out of bed until I ruffle their hair.

I'm beginning to learn what scares them, what motivates them, how far I can push them, what makes them lose their 'tough guy' image and become a little vulnerable. they are beginning to learn that I will do anything to protect them, what I will absolutely not tolerate, that when I laugh my eyes crinkle up in the corners [which they find hilarious for some reason], that I am a terrible dancer.

and this is our home.