WIN/WIN

On Friday night I had an Uber driver who was very talkative.

I started the conversation by asking if she’d been busy, and she didn’t stop answering the question until we arrived at my destination. 15 minutes later.

I’ll summarize:
She works full time at McDonald’s.
She has four kids.
She has a “baby daddy” but he has a side piece.
So she got one for herself too.
But he started it.
They’re still “staying together” because it’s what is “best for the kids.”
Teamwork, she called it.
She’s okay with it as long as he sleeps on the couch.
Because of the side piece.
She calls her side piece ‘Ol Boy.
To me, that sounds like the name of a dog you’ve had for twenty years but this guy sounds … a lot less faithful than that.

The SNAP situation has forced her to work more.

Which means she has to communicate with baby daddy.
So he can watch the kids.
While she works.

I was moved in the moment to encourage her and applaud the choice to work.

I was glad to hear the situation has caused her to communicate with baby daddy and work some things out logistically.

But the more I think about everything she shared with me, the more my heart breaks for those kids.

I cannot imagine the inconsistency of their daily lives. What they face when they walk in the door of wherever they live. With side pieces and couch surfers and often an empty pantry.

I sat beside a booster seat that wasn’t buckled in.
It was pink and it slid around as we turned corners and took exits.

Unstable. So many kids live lives that are unstable.

The opposing opinions and strong beliefs surrounding the SNAP situation have a lot of valid points.
On both sides.
I see it from the inside and I get it.

The flag I’ll continue to wave likely until I’m in the grave is the one that says CONSIDER THE KIDS.

When other people “get it” - when they see what I see and they rally around what we’re doing over at FOUND, my heart rejoices like this entire bar did yesterday when Pat chose Texas Tech.

It’s so energizing when someone else sees things the way you do. Whether it’s a person in power or someone with lots of experience or just a friend willing to listen … when they agree with your perspective, it’s empowering.

As we gain more momentum with our efforts, more kids are fed and nurtured and provided for as a benefit of showing up to school, and that’s a WIN.

It’s a WIN for the kids and it’s a WIN for the educators who see the needs every single day.

I began praying yesterday that we would take the momentum of this victory and the energy of this city and rise up and join together like never before. I’m already seeing it happen in so many organizations and in the hearts of individuals whose generosity is helping to rally the community.

If you know a teacher or a school counselor, an administrator, a nurse, a social worker … encourage them. Rally around them. They’re on the front lines of serving the next generation, and it’s mission critical at this point.

They need to know you’re on their team.

If our communities did this naturally, we wouldn’t need FOUND.

So I’ll continue to beat this drum as long as we hear the stories of incredible impact for the kids and the educators.

I love a WIN.
And what we do is a WIN/WIN.