so...the toughest part about getting my new job
was telling my buddy & co-worker, M.
He's been a solid pillar of strength and support for me
ever since our first day working with this project.

that fool is hella real,
hella un-"pc",
hella "code switches" like a mofo
and hella has solid values that he upholds
with such integrity.
I trust him with my life - he is the
kind of person who has your back,
even if you act a fool.

He's also the biggest jokester around.
He makes my stomach hurt from cracking up so hard.

He's also hella smart.
His life experience combined with his street smarts
and commitment to raising up his community
beats my college degree any f-ing day.

I've really grown to respect and appreciate him
over these last 9 months that we struggled together
in this project, and I'm sad as hell to not be
able to see him and the rest of my co-workers on
a daily basis once I leave.

It has been a difficult 2 weeks emotionally as
the reality of me leaving is coming closer.
On Thursday, I even considered re-negging on my resignation.
I called my best friend, R, to help me process this.
I knew in my heart that taking this new job opportunity
was the best decision, but
I just needed to make space to reconcile these
thoughts that have been lingering about in my head.

There is a myriad of reasons I can list for why I made this
decision to leave my job.
Overall, however, I honestly feel that it is just my time to go.
I just feel it in my gut.

I feel sad to leave the people I've made genuine connections with.
I truly appreciated the family feel of our environment.
I just felt incredibly comfortable with everyone and on a
very real level. There was no need to front or be something
I am not.
I am incredibly appreciative that I am constantly welcomed
with open arms, treated with respect and valued for who I am.
I could not ask for anything more than that in a workplace.

On an even deeper and analytical level,
this experience has shown me the power of
passion and commitment to build something
as a means for positive social change.
It was an amazing experience to see so many people
be inspired to help when they walked through
our doors and saw the product of youth empowerment
and community effort.

So many people have given money, time, energy, hard work
and personal investment to help this center run and continue
to move forward.
This center/project brings out the good in people each and every time,
and it re-affirms my belief that community/social work is what I need
to invest myself in to fulfill my life's work.