Monday, August 15 2022

Dear Journal,

Good morning, everyone. Happy Monday.

I think it's going to be a picture kind of entry today, as I needed extra time this morning to shepherd my first grader off to school. OK, really that part barely took longer than five seconds. After all, Rodney just had to walk to the bottom of the driveway.

The found a spot on the corner, then seeing the bus stopped down the street, they second guessed themselves. They ran up the block, then doubled-back to their original spot. I chuckled from my vantage point in the front window. We're all kind of new to this school bus thing.

The bus whizzed out of view, and in an instant Rodney was gone. Marissa trudged back up the driveway. Marissa says that Rodney climbed into the bus at an instant. He probably wanted to fulfill his lifelong dream of being a bus commuter before we had a chance to change our minds. He nonchalantly waved back from his window seat as it pulled out onto the road.

Sip. Emotions are running high this weekend - the nice kind. It feels like the school year came upon us so quickly. We toured the school last Friday afternoon. After we dropped off Rodney's supplies and met his teacher, we walked around the building. The hallways felt bright and cheery. The crisp, conditioned air felt like a luxurious refuge from the summer heat. In the pictures I snapped of our family wandering around, we all have the same doughy-eyed, slack jawed expression on our faces.

Our excitement rubbed off on Rodney like a static charge. On Saturday, he spent thirty minutes obsessively laying out each article of clothing from his batch of new school clothes.

Marissa, part time barber, set up shop in the bathroom. Rodney stopped in to clean up his moppy summer mane.

Guess what's back? That's right - it's time to break out the napkin drawings. Today, a knight in armor leads a peanut butter and jelly, a bag of pirates booty, an orange, and three chocolate covered pretzels into battle.

If I'm being honest, I envy Rodney. I used to love the first day of school. Unworn clothes, unwrinkled folders, and unsharpened pencils set the stage for a fresh start. For the rest of us, it's just another Monday in August, but for Rodney he's entering into another world.

"You should make a letter board for Miles that says first day of absolutely nothing," I laughed.

"First day of... still being a baby," she echoed sleepily.

How will Miles adjust to Rodney's new day job? He'll either adore the concentrated attention, or he'll hate it - nothing in between.

That's what I got today. Happy first day of school, everyone.