I have been holding my breath for a week now. Ok, maybe not holding it completely, but I've definitely been taking shallow, jagged breaths, with my eyes squinched tightly shut, while I've waited for the dust of this last week to settle. I couldn't write, no photographs, I barely cooked.
You see, school started on Monday. And while that's a simple little sentence that I just typed, the actual meaning of it for this family is ginormous, life-altering... shallow-breathing-worthy...
After having an absolutely horrendous school year last year for three out of four of us... the prospect of it all starting up again seriously made me stop and examine what was really important to me and us, as a family.
The results?
Us, as a family.
Plain and simple. Our health - mental, emotional and physical... our time - well spent, relaxed, precious... and each other - inspired, at peace, and happy. All of which is compromised by the addition of school...
With one child heading to fifth grade (fifth grade math, fifth grade girl drama), one child heading to middle school (middle school math, middle school drama) and one parent heading to first grade (luckily, first grade math I can handle...) there was all the makings for a serious formation of the pressure cooker of last year.
However, upon waking up this morning, the Saturday morning of the first week, I had a very "Wizard of Oz" kind of feeling - the scene where the house falls on the Wicked Witch and after things settle, with the coaxing of Glenda the Good Witch, the little munchkins peek out from behind the bushes and hesitantly tip toe back out into life.
As the munchkins in our little life, emerging from the bushes, RT is kicking serious middle school booty, Bee is over-the-moon for her teacher, and I am thrilled with the group of little ones I will be spending my days with this year.
Lower the shoulders, open the eyes, unclench the fists, big exhale...
Dust has settled and I think we're all going to make it... of course, I'll cross my fingers just in case...
No comments:
Post a Comment