back to school

There are a few things I miss about being a kid - eating whatever I wanted, having very few responsibilities, thinking an ice cream cone cured everything, endless summer vacations, and going back to school.

I loved summer vacation but towards the end I was ready to go back to school. The process was great. Getting new clothes (still a favorite I must admit), purchasing new school supplies, and wondering who my teacher would me and who would be in class with me. To this day everytime I see a new box of crayons nostalgia hits me and I wonder if I will ever experience the pure simple joy of using new crayons again.

Never mind that those crayons never created an artist or suddenly drew fabulous artwork just having brand new crayons made me think this time it would be a masterpiece. Well my mom thought maybe I was a Picasso in the making but by about 7 I am pretty sure even the "mom blinders" had come off. Okay I know now even my mom didn't think that but she sure made it sound like she believed. It must be a mom ability to keep encouraging your child even though your fridge door will never be bare again and you don't need the 100th picture of a house with stick figures and a sun. Another reason to love stainless appliances - no artwork has to be displayed!

A new school year would be filled with possibilities - new friends, learning new things, knowing I would be 1 grade higher in the hierarchy, and plenty of holidays in which to take a well earned break. It was like being given a do-over really. You got to start all over pretty much and forget anything that had happened last year. I wish I still got a do-over - wouldn't it be great have a few months off and then go back with a very cute outfit, new crayons, possibility of new friends and more holidays than you can up with reasons for.

So when I see the bus once again roll up in my neighborhood a part of me will be wishing I could get on it. Instead I will have to find out if an ice cream cone still makes everything better.