Every once
in a while, I catch a hint of fall on the mid-afternoon breeze. The evenings are
cooling down quicker and the nights are getting a touch chillier. As autumn
gently eases in, a sense of excitement grows within me. Renewal. Beginnings.
Possibilities.
Maybe, it’s
because for two thirds of my life I headed off to school each September. As a
student, as a teacher, and as a principal, each new year was filled with
anticipation. There was always so much to look forward to—new people, new
learning, new experiences. The nerves days prior, the sleepless night before,
and even the anxiety as I drew close to the school, were all part of the hype
of a new year.
Conversely,
it was also a return to the mundane and the predictable. Everything became
scheduled. You knew when you’d be in motion and when you’d be sedentary. Even
your body readjusted to timing the sating of simple physical needs like
eating and using the washroom. And there was comfort in that, in knowing what
comes next, in being back in routine. There was also satisfaction in it. I
knew, without a doubt, I was going to accomplish something each and every day.
This week
marks the fifth fall since my last return to a new school year, yet I still
respond the same way. After a whirlwind summer of visitors, social outings, and
many fabulous outdoor adventures, I am excited and ready to restructure my days
and get back into the groove. My pencils are sharpened. My laptop is charged.
Story lines are unrolling and I am anxious to get them down.
For me, autumn is not the beginning of the end of a year, but the first shiny season of a new one. May it be the same for you. Happy fall
everyone!
