Another Day in Paradise

I have a colleague at school who is very passionate.  She engages with rigor the students with whom she works.  She wears her heart on her sleeve and as such can be both energetic and joyous, as well as, deflated and sad when things don't go as she hopes.  She's a paraeducator, and so she works with some of the most problematic learners helping them with some of the most fundamental building blocks of conceptual learning.  What she does is vital.  And she is very good at it.

One day, she asked me how I manage to not be brought down by some of the shit that goes on.  I said, "Well, I just remember how fortunate I am to have a role in the lives of children.  It's paradise to me."  This turned into an ongoing little passing encouragement.  When I see her, I smile and say, "Another day in paradise."

Her father died and she was away for a few days for the funeral.  Recently, she was tasked with clearing out his home office as plans move forward for the relocation of her mother into a more secure living arrangement.  While going through forgotten cabinets, she found this vintage wooden clapper.  It reminded her of our banter, and she gave it to me this past Friday.  What joy!

When you shake it, the little wooden balls extend and then smack the paddle to create a rhythmic clacking sound. 

On the one side it reads:

PARADISE

Cabaret Restaurant

Broadway and 49th St., N.Y.C.

50 Thrilling Girls 50

On the handle, a silhouette of a nude woman in a coy stance.

On the other side:

Heart and Center of

New York Night Life

- Never a -

Cover Charge

On the handle:

The Greatest

Cabaret Revue