Greetings from a humid Saturday morning in Hillsborough!

We just finished the first week of classes at Carolina, and the energy in the air last week was very busy and excited. I found myself on campus on Thursday and was so glad to run into trusted PhD-student-colleague-friends. I’m starting my fifth year and I see the light at the end of the tunnel (December, 2015). My proposal defense is later this semester, so I am making revisions and thinking through statistical analyses. I’ve got work to do! And I’ve got talks to prepare: Montana and the Triangle Global Health Consortium in September, and an Evidence Academy in December. 

In the meantime, Counter Tools-the-toddler is now working in 7 states! Minnesota, Colorado, Vermont, North Carolina, South Dakota, Florida, Arizona. We are thrilled with our growth and challenged to keep going, adding value and making change. CounterTobacco.org launched their 3rd annual photo contest this week — getting kids and community members out into the retail store to capture tobacco marketing and product displays on film — and raising awareness of this blight in some of our neighborhoods. 

It is a time of opportunity! So much opportunity that it would be easier to hide. Easier to slink into the background, eat french fries and watch Bravo (guilty!). Easier to slow down! Easier to extend deadlines. Easier to choose overwhelm, fear. Easier to not show up and say, “Here, I made this.”. 

*gulp*

Let’s just say, I’m putting on my overalls.  I hope you’ll join me.