No one I know that works in education right now is sleeping. Like most people, I have tackled some hard things in the last several years. I have had brain surgery. I have a chronic pain condition that is better now, but likely to return. My father had cancer. I finished my doctorate. It’s been a while, but I have run several half marathons. My track record says that I can do hard things and I just keep telling myself that. Our hard things are different, but they often make us cry, question ourselves, and want to quit. Right now, on the cusp of a new school year….it feels the exact same. It is August, usually, a time mixed with exhaustion and eagerness, now feels as hard as a hole in my head, defending my dissertation and running 13 miles. Only this time no one is showing up with a casserole, a high five, or a cup of coffee. I look around and my peers all seem to be feeling the same. That is somehow encouraging -- because the only way I know how to get through this is t...