Do you remember the movie "The Ring?"

 Good morning,

I pray the day finds you well.

Another day older and deeper in debt
Saint Peter, don't you call me 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to the company store.

Tennessee Ernie Ford

We had Y-Day last Friday. 

If you don't know what Y-Day is, it is a day (well isn't that perceptive of me!). Yes, it is a day, but it is also a time when we close down the entire association and come together as a YMCA family.

Y-Days are a lot of work, and by the end of the day, "Sixteen tons" was playing in my head! 

This particular Y-Day happened to fall on Cinco De Mayo. For the life of me, I can't figure out why Cinco De Mayo always seems to fall on May 5th? I am pretty fluent in Spanish but this one alludes me. 

I will have to ask Frederick the Great, I am sure he knows, He attended New Mexico State University and is always talking about Cervezas.

Anyway, back to Y-Day. 

As I wandered around watching leadership work their butts off Friday, I tried to work my butt off once, but it kept showing back up, Uggg. I was looking intently at boots.

I could not help but see a lot of muddy boots in the room. 

Another thing I was looking at was people's eyes. You can tell a lot about a person by their eyes. 

You can:

• Tell if they are stuck in the mud and can't get out yet.
• Tell if they are unstuck, but still trudging alone in the mud.
• Tell if they are trudging in the mud, but have someone walking with them.
• Tell if they are on dry ground and started down the path home.
• You can tell if they are looking at your boots too.

Yes, you can tell a lot about a person by looking into their eyes. 

I was pretty busy all day but I did manage to check in with my traveling companion. The statement was made, "Most people can't even tell if you are having a bad day. They just think you are funny and happy." 

I have a pretty good mask. Obviously, not good enough. People close to me can still see right through it!

It was around 1:30 pm when my buddy Matt looked at me and started to laugh. 

I said, "What's so funny?"

He said, "You!"

I just looked at him. He said, "You are completely done with people right now, in fact, you have been done with people since 1 pm. I saw the shift in your eyes as it happened."

I said, "Really, you saw it."

He replied, "Don't worry, nobody has figured you out yet."

It is good to have Matt around, he helps keep me in check. 

He was right though. I am an ok chaplain and counselor, I can sit with a person until the cows come home. What kills me is crowds, they drain me. 

It is like I go from being a Prius and great gas mileage to being a 1969 Corvette with a half-inch fuel line that gets 4 miles to the gallon. I can watch my fuel gauge just drop right before my eyes. 

When I get tired, the tapes get louder. 

When I get tired, my responses get duller. 

When I get tired, things get scary. 

I am still on the path, thanks to my friends. The mud is still right there, I see trees ahead of me and the path appears to go into the trees and away from the mud. 

I will continue to look forward.

I glanced back once; remember the movie "The Ring?" It was a horror movie where this apparition climbs out of the T.V. at the person. That is what it feels like when I glance back. The apparition climbing out of the T.V. is my tapes. 

Just the thought of it makes me shiver. 

During Y-Day, I was able to have conversations with people about muddy boots. I had a number of people from Y-Day ask for my bread. I will continue to write, in the hope of helping someone out there heal. 

Oh and if you can figure out why Cinco De Mayo always falls on May 5th , please let me know, it is bugging me!

Blessings,

Roger