Friday Funk

Friday. Listening to Bob Dylan. Ruminating on the week--it has been a tough one. I've had too many soul-sucking activities and duties, and I am pretty exhausted. Arguing with the state (always such fun), having to tell staff to cancel our big Cinco de Mayo event, keeping up with the influenza alerts, trying to make sense of the State Rapid Rehousing RFP, grants, grants, and more grants. Too little contact with our teens.

It's hard to keep arguing and fighting--I sometimes think that government people sit around and think of ways to make it totally impossible for us to deliver services. "Let's see. What can we do to Promise House this week to ensure they not only don't get their payment, but that they have to jump through 25 hoops for us." It gets very discouraging.

The other discouraging thing is that no one wants to fund operations. None of the stimulus package dollars can be used to help off-set any of our expenses in delivering the programs. So, in delivering the service, we have already lost money, even before we get it! Further, there are very few foundations or corporations that will fund operations. Most want to fund something new, or restrict their gift to something specific. So, we can have lots of new programs, but no electricity, water, or administrative staff!

Most of the time I can compartmentalize alot of the "garbage" stuff I have to deal with, but this week, it's been all week, and I'm beat.

So, I'm glad it's Friday. I'm going to go home and hide and pretend that all is right with the world. Then on Monday, I'll start again. And I'll persist. And we will keep saving kids.