Back to School

As I prepare to send my kids off to another year of school, I am filled with memories of my own childhood and the excitement that came with getting the opportunity to get a “fresh start” each September.  I remember standing at the bus stop dressed in my new school clothes, which usually consisted of a turtleneck and corduroy pants (on an 80 degree day, no less) while carrying my Partridge Family lunchbox. I was sure I would get straight A's and have perfect attendance.

Then, of course, reality would set in and I would choose Happy Days re-runs over doing the extra credit to get the “A” grade, and I would struggle once again in art class to even draw a straight line.  The word "Valedictorian" slowly slipped from my vocabulary.

I have no regrets about my effort in school and have no desire to repeat those years again. A person can only handle junior high once in their life, but I still have that underlying emotion every September about getting a fresh start.  However, the beauty about life after school is that we are no longer graded in a Pass or Fail manner.  Unlike school, we have the ability to fail at something and then give it another try.  We can “re-take” the tests in life as many times as we need to; learning from our previous mistakes and then applying that knowledge the next time.

Personally, I find it comforting that we don’t have to be concerned anymore about having our life’s accomplishments or mistakes posted in a transcript for all to see.  There are days where we will herald ourselves as the Valedictorian and there are days when a little detention might just help to set us straight.  The wonderful thing is that every day can be the first day of school; a day of new beginnings.

Comments

[Christy]

Thank you for this reminder! I'm told that today I'm the oldest I've ever been and the youngest I'll ever be! So, make each day the best it can be, by being the best YOU can be!