From the time they could walk, my girls have been dancing. I was so happy to see yesterday that they are still young enough to dance in the family room. Soon, they will find a self consciousness that may halt their creativity, but for now I am enjoying their childish fun and the freedom they feel to move to the music.
On a different note, (ha..not pun intended) it seems like just yesterday when the summer was new and the possibilities were endless. Now the fall is upon us and I find myself in the most bittersweet long weekend of the year. It's so hard to believe that school starts on Tuesday. I can't complain. We've had a wonderfully relaxing summer with lots of fun activities and plenty of time for togetherness. I love the feeling of having a day ahead with no plans yet....being able to say, "Let's go to the Aquarium" or "Let's have a picnic". That is the beauty of summer to me...the lack of routine and the ability to just enjoy a warm day with no limits or scheduling conflicts. Speaking of warm days, there were precious few this summer. It was maybe the weirdest weather year on record. Good thing we got our dose of sun and sand in the Okanagan. I have the familiar pit in my stomach tonight. It comes around when I see the leaves turning and the parents in the store scrambling for last minute school supplies. Oh, I love my job and really, there's nothing I'd rather do. It's just a little dread on my part...not for the job, just for the busyness and the fatigue that comes with it. The girls are a little excited and a little fearful of the new things (new grades and teachers) coming their way. They are taking piano, soccer and highland dance this fall so it will be busy and full. We'll see how it goes. I find it such a hard balance to expose my kids to acitiviy and opportunity, yet protect our family time. We've instituted Friday Family Fun Night. The kids are probably most excited about the opportunity to pick an activity each Friday night. We've always done family nights, but not formally. I wanted to schedule it like other activities so it didn't get lost in the mix. The highland dance is new. It's my answer to their desire to take a dance class. I wasn't keen on some of the costuming and makeup in other dance classes and I wasn't sure I wanted to go the ballet route, so this seemed a great idea and a neat way for them to learn about their heritage on my side. One of the other teachers on my staff is enrolling her little girl too. So, here we go. September is like a new year for me. I usually set goals and make resolutions now. It's kind of refreshing....like an unused notebook or a desk full of brand new school supplies.
Here is my poem....one I have my younger students write in the first week.... Goodbye Summer Hello Fall.
Goodbye long, warm summer nights
Hello cool, crisp evenings
Goodbye warm sand in my flip flops
Hello crunchy leaves under my shoes
Goodbye iced tea and watermelon
Hello pumpkin spice lattes and gingerbread
Goodbye shorts, capris and tank tops
Hello sweaters, jeans and new shoes Goodbye Summer Hello Fall
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2 comments:
I know exactly how you feel with the change in seasons and the impending onset of another school year. There is an anticipatory delight and yet a knot of dread nestled in my stomach as I think of how demanding life quickly becomes. But I always return to the fact that it is such a privilege to interact with so many over the course of a year and my heartfelt prayer is that I would make a positive impact. I leave you with a quote from You've Got Mail:
"Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address."
Yes I have used the video uploading application on blogger. It works really well. But it only accepts videos 100mb or less (I believe) so in most cases it needs to be shrunk before blogger will accept it.
A couple time when I have been uploading a video it seems to get "stuck" and doesn't finish so I have just canceled it and tried again, the second time has always worked. Once the video is there you can see it.
Enjoy your "new year" :)
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