School is back and so is traffic! Buses, pedestrians, kids wandering like sheep to the pasture to graze at their educational repast...
Yesterday, traffic was confined to Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds drive thrus for the early morning coffee!
Now, left turns are not illegal but ill advised as you might be forced to wait quite a while to turn. Parents are congregating excitedly on corners discussing what they will do while their cherubs are confined to the educational institution for the afternoon!
I usually use the first day of school, and the ride to it, to discuss the summer with my little Jedi. Did we do enough this summer? Did I spend enough time with him? Was there anything we didn't do that he wanted to? I also try to remind him of plans he may have made at the beginning of the summer that he didn't quite achieve.
Jake said his summer was great and he was very happy. I spent more than enough time with him. I don't know if that last comment is a good thing but I was happy to hear that. I have decided that I will never feel like I have spent enough time with my kids or any of the people I love. I have to go to work some time...
He wore his favorite new shirt, Plants vs Zombies, although he was worried about it being appropriate. What a good kid.
And we saw a girl standing lost on the sidewalk leading up to school with that mortified expression that i will probably have one my first day back to work after vacation.
Only it looked worse on her. The last time I felt the way she looked was when I was sitting on my bed at Oswego after my parents and girlfriend had dropped me off, feeling totally alone and abandoned. My roommate was going to be a day late for school so I was staring at the empty half of the room with no one to bond with.
Thats too much stress for a 7 year old.
I'm glad Jake was excited to go back to school, even though he didn't want to admit it. He was wearing his back pack a half hour before we had to leave.
I'm glad I take the first week back to school off every year to make the transition a little easier and to connect about the summer. And just to be there.
I can still see that girl in my minds eye and I feel like she just needs someone to tell her to turn around and get up that hill. Just walk forward and get started. It may seem terrifying but a million kids are surviving it every day...
So I try to remember that when I'm looking at a big problem.
Walk forward and get started... somewhere.
Just standing there is going to just let time get away...like summer...
HAND!
But his picture sure was cute!
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