I remember once being amused by an advertisement campaign for “Back to School” sales using the popular Christmas song, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” Oh yeah, I have definitely had that feeling.
By the end of August, after months of kids being underfoot, of a messy house, of the constant refrain “I’m bored,” and of kids competing with my work, I hear myself saying “bring on school.” I’m ragging on them, and they’re ragging on me.
But I also remember the first summer of my new family constellation, a time when the blended family was more ‘crushed ice’ than ‘smoothie.’ A passing comment from an acquaintance drastically changed my perspective. When she heard that I had FIVE children, she said, “You are a rich woman indeed.” A gentle shift in perspective and all that summer’s strains seemed to melt away . . .
In a few blinks my summers will be very quiet, the joys and enthusiasms of youth scattered by the winds of change. So I breathe, trusting the flow of the academic year, trusting the flow of life’s progress, embracing the brief and ephemeral NOW. I find that I’m far happier when I focus on the riches of my life and not the rags.
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