Mental health weekend

So why does it always seem at this time in the school year that time speeds up and the amount of 'stuff' I have to do in a day multiplies exponentially? Somehow, magically, we are once again poised at the precipice of the end of yet another school year and I am yet again, wishing that this time of year didn't fly by so quickly (between being bogged down with report cards, staff evals, admin to close out this year and start a new year . . .) so that I could really appreciate how far we have really come since back in September. I was struck today as I stepped out of my office into the yard with the children and watched as their relationships and interactions unfolded around me - such different people than the ones I met just 9 months ago. When and why is it that we stop learning and growing at such an alarming speed? It really is remarkable to watch - and on a side note, I was also reminded why I much prefer children to adults as I saw a 3 year old go and slide on our 'old' slide (much smaller and far less exciting than our 'new' slide) because she thought it looked sad and lonely. Nine times out of ten I would rather talk to a 3 year old than anyone else on the planet. The simple facts are; they are smarter than all of us combined, they are nicer than most of us, they are happier than - well, let's face it - all of us, and they are far more honest than any of us have been since we stopped measuring how old we are in half or three-quarter years.
Who tells little girls it’s not OK to pull their dress up over their head anymore? Who tells little boys to stop jumping on the spot for fun? If anyone out there knows who the person is who makes children stop being children – send them my way, we're gonna throw down.
So on the heels of my afternoon observations and the disturbing fact that this year and these children have once again whizzed by me at warp speed, I bid a fond farewell to the Big Smoke for the weekend to head for the Big Apple. Hey, I'm a girl and I love shoes. I have a feeling that poor Roy (our once and former tour guide soon to reprise his role) will immediately run screaming into the street and retire once he sees that we are back and this time there are not 7 of us, but there are 42 of us. Yup, now I get to go make someone else feel slammed at work the way I am poised to be for the next 4 weeks. Hey - gotta balance it out.

On the previous journey to the Big Apple, I found The Band to be the perfect soundtrack to driving through upstate New York on a sunny day, so . . .






P.S. Levon is the man.