And so it goes the old saying.. the weeks are long but the years are short. It seems every year, our longed for summertime comes and goes more quickly as the years go by. As we end school the thought of lazy mornings, coffee on the deck. walks with the dog and the kindled list of books to read become smiles on our faces and our "to do"summer list.
My first instinct every summer is to organize my kitchen cabinets, kids' closets and my greatest feat the good ole' pencil drawer, the one with not only used up erasers but the pens that don't work and little by the the other small items that creep in all through out the year. I start off each summer with that first project. What a great feeling to tackle my first summer project and finish it within the first hour, I feel like I am ready to conquer the world.
The month of July moves quickly, awaiting photos and calls form my boys away at camp and of course preparation for the big visiting day. Spending days shopping for various items to bring them, many that go unopened and many treats that never get eaten.
August creeps up and there it is.. my greatest joy to see.. the back to school section in Target. Right there in front of me is my candy store of colorful folders, notebooks, markers galore and all the other various supplies we use in preparation for the school year. I spend hours walking the aisles picking colored folders for my family and coordinate that with the spiral notebook they will use for each subject. The multitude of different types of loose leaf paper making big decisions about college or wide ruled. Lesson plan books, borders, colored tags and pencil cases are now all I think about.
Marie Kondo's simple message of What brings you joy? can mean so many things. While it might be a way to declutter your life both mentally and physically, it makes me think about the things that are important to me in my daily life. What brings me joy is to be at a place I have loved for over 40 years ( I know how can that be :)) , a place I feel excited to go to, a place to grow my mind, a place to cultivate new friendships and a place I feel at home, that place is school. I hope I can be instrumental in those feelings for my sons, staff and my families.
And while the warm summer days are still upon us, as we savor every drop of unscheduled time at the beach, at the pool or even Disney World, I secretly can't wait for September to roll around!
See everyone really soon!
