literally just here to follow my friends

𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘗𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘿𝙄 𝙅𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙍𝙤𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙤𝙣

This past month, Parks & Rec has been doing a lot of work on the field adjacent to my school. They have trucks with flatbeds, mowing/tree-cutting/postholing machinery, etc. And when they arrived, I (campus monitor) was told I would need to herd the kids away from the trucks/machinery and basically prevent them from creating a dangerous situation.

So when recess came around and the kids stampeded out the door I held them up and I said (being funny but at the same time serious, you know how it is, kids listen better if you're funny)

"Okay, I know that you're all smart AND mature, right? And talented and good looking? Definitely the smartest and most talented class in this school? (I say this to every class, they're all 'my favorites'.) And because you're SO intelligent and mature, I don't need to actually TELL you that these guys have vehicles and machinery that you need to stay clear of, right? Because I know you figured that out already, and I also know that YOU know how sad I would be if any of you were run over, or squashed, or had a pole fall on you. I would be SO SAD, like, I would probably have to lie down on the floor and cry. So you're not going to make me cry, right? I can trust you to stay away from the trucks and machines no matter where they are on the field? Because you're wonderful and amazing? My favorites? My inspiration?"

And they're laughing at me of course, because I'm being so dramatic. Some of them are "Yes, and-"ing my dramatics and inventing more involved mourning processes I should undertake if any of them get run over. Some of them are yelling at me that they are NOT mature yet and they are VERY STUPID and I should know this.

It's been three weeks. We had one conversation about it. None of them have gone anywhere near the trucks. This is actually in excess of the typical elementary-schooler's working memory and I'm very proud of them. I haven't had to blow the whistle at ONE person for getting too close even when the trucks were literally 40 feet from the actual playground.

He knew you... I do, too. "One of the first things I did when I first started working on the show [as Karen] was I got a whole bunch of pictures of Matt & Karen in all sorts of romantic situations and I made a vision board of it because the artwork is so impactful. [...] There's one where they're falling and it's all legs and arms and heads, all intertwined in a kiss. It just looked like the definition of love – of bodies, of souls, that couldn't be separated. I like keeping that in my mind... even when it's just a casual conversation." –Deborah Ann Woll

Matt Murdock loosening his tie #forscience

+ bonus