It is 6:28 AM and the household will awake soon; my morning “me time” has been cut short with the end of summer and the start of school.
*side note: “Walking in The Air” has just come on my internet radio as if to add a punctuation mark to the theme and to aid me in the writing of this post.
The end of summer has arrived: the mornings are darker and days shorter, the weather begins to change, there is more traffic on the road and the sunset is advancing farther south. To add to the change and in what feels like another chapter in my life turning, my son has started kindergarten. This is the big leagues, a big school, more classmates and the start of a nine year journey which, when I was a kid, seemed as though it would never end. Nine years is an incredibly long time after all even for adults which means it is pretty much infinity for kids.
It is also quite an experience for me: filling out forms, paying attention to rules, calling adult teachers younger than me ‘Mrs.’ and getting my son to school on time every single day! I cannot shake the feeling that I’m very glad it is not me who has to repeat the process: I’ve graduated, I’m done! I’ve just had a thought in that I need to write another post on my memories of kindergarten and elementary school. There is a hidden world of friendships, alliances, enemies and rules that adults do not see. Luckily, I remember my childhood very well and may be able to see what most adults do not.
But returning to the end of summer, for the first time in my adult life this change has more of an impact on me since I now have to participate as a parent in elementary school. Autumn does not officially arrive until September 22nd but with the change in schedules I’m reminded of the end of summer in Ohio when I was young.
Autumn in Ohio arrives with cooling temperatures, the leaves changing color and falling to the ground as well as the start of Ohio State Buckeye football. Summer clothes are put away and sweatshirts and jeans become more prevalent. Unlike California you can actually feel and see the change of the seasons. I miss actual weather such as thunderstorms, snow, rain, a chill in the air, the way a brisk autumn temperature really makes you feel alive. Here on the coast it is just a mix of sunny days and fog, any type of rain is a huge event.
It is now 7:02 AM and the entire household is awake; I’ll have to cut this post short.
*Reminder for myself – Write a post about memories in elementary school as well as the start of fall in Ohio.
