I was going to blog about Energy. Until I remembered how little I actually remembered about energy, from Einstein's E=mc2 to the Law of Thermodynamics. There's a lot there, but currently it all boils down to COFFEE for me (should have had that as my C topic) and just thinking about Wikipedia'ing all that gave me a cramp.

Alas, I'm running out of energy for this blogging challenge, folks.

So I thought I'd tell you about Emma instead.

I've thought for some time she'd make a good book character, because she looks like an elf (for starters.)

I kid you not. Pointed ears, ski-slope nose, petite, cute as a button, everything. A life sized elf woman walking among us from her foresty eyes to her sun-dappled skin. I told her I was going to blog about her and she looked appalled and said, “why?”

This could be her. No joke. She even likes animals. Shorter hair though, and freckles.

“Because you're interesting. Can you give me a picture? Just a head shot?”

She laughed. “What is this about?”

“Um. You're interesting. I'm a writer. I'm sorry.”

“I thought you were a counselor.”

“Well that too. Not sure which came first.”

In fact I'm sure I was a writer first. I became a therapist because of my constant curiosity, fascination, genuine liking for people. They just plain interest me, all ages. Even today when Emma and I were doing a meeting for one of our students and the toddler began to act up, I took the little girl to the play area of my office and played Candyland and hide n' seek and had the best time of my day.

Emma loves her students. She is warm, and fun-loving, with a great sense of humor and the kind of dedication to her job that never even glances at a clock to see if it's her contracted work hours. She uses a lot of hand gestures when she's excited, like there's some Italian mixed in with the elf, and she tears up when she talks about teaching, about the needs of our Special Education students, the frustrations of the system that so often shortchanges them.

She inspires me. I didn't look at the clock today either.

Thanks Emma, you are ENERGY to me right now.