School is Cool

I seem to recall the excitement and anticipation that came with a new school year. This was primarily in elementary school, perhaps a little in junior high, as well. A new school year was something to look forward to.


















"Summer has been fun and all, but let's get back to school. I'm bored. I need stuff to do."













By 9th grade, those feeling had disappeared. Summer could not be long enough. Oh the dread of returning to school. Sure, there were things that were exciting as school began, but they were far outweighed by the laziness of the teens. Why else would you be late for school to hang out with some crazy, white-haired, weird scientist?

Sometime around the 2nd year of college, though, dread gave way to mere apathy.

"Meh, another semester is coming up." Perhaps it was because school was always beginning - fall, winter, spring and summer. It was just part of the routine. It was life and I didn't look forward to it, nor did I dread it.

Then it's gone. No school. Aside from the going-to-work thing, that was a pretty good feeling.

You get married (or, if you went to BYU, you probably graduated married).

You have kids (or, if you went to BYU, you probably graduated with at least one).

For the first 5 years of their life, you enjoy vacations at any time of the year - not being relegated to summer-only trips that school schedules demand.

Then they start Kindergarten. School is dreaded again, but for a different reason. You are having the "Holy cow, I'm old enough to have kids in school" feeling.

Of course, there's a feeling like that every so often in your life - "Holy cow, I'm old enough to have have a driver." "Holy cow, my child just graduated from high school." "Holy cow, I have great-grandkids." None of them are bad milestones, but when will we ever start picturing ourselves as old as we really are?

You are excited for them and their excitement, but you dread their leaving the home, too.

Before you know it, you have several kids in school - elementary, middle school, perhaps even high school.

Now you look forward to school like you have never looked forward to it in your life. Oh sure, there's the trillions of dollars spent on school supplies and new clothes. That's not so wonderful. But you make your way through it knowing that at the other end of this pain, there is school.

The kids are out of the house for up to 7 hours. There may be a couple of little ones left at home, but the difference in noise level is definitely noticeable. Now, even when all the children are home, they have something to do. Homework, studying, piano, gymnastics, dance, sports. The craziness of scheduling and chauffeuring is a small price to pay for the structure and certain response to the query, "What are we going to do today?"

Yet, for all that, it won't be long before you want a break and start to wonder, "How long until school is out?"

I'm Getting Too Old for This

If you haven't tried it, wakeboarding is pretty fun - while you are doing it. The following 2 or 3 days - not so much.

I tried the sport for the first time last week. (No pictures. The camera was left in the car.) And, contrary to my first experience waterskiing, I was actually able to stand up fairly quickly. I enjoyed it for the time I was actually on top of the water. I didn't think that the slamming into the water was having too big an effect on me. I seemed to be able to take it pretty well.

Then morning came.

I usually like to get up at 5 in the morning and exercise - running, cycling, or swimming. Okay...well...maybe I don't LIKE to, but I do it.

Not that morning.

My alarm went off. I opened my eyes. Head pounding. Body aching.

"I didn't realize I had muscles there," I thought to myself, in too much pain to actually move my mouth or use my vocal chords. (Although, I suppose that my being the only one home may have contributed to that, as well.)

I was late for work that day. And the next day.

My alarm went off. I opened my eyes. Head pounding. Body aching.

"I didn't realize there were muscles there," I thought to myself, in too much pain to actually move my mouth or use my vocal chords. (I suppose being the only one home contributed to that, as well.)

By the end of Thursday, I was feeling a little stronger. Strong enough, apparently, to go to a movie with Nicki and another couple. The movie started at 10:10.

PM.

Actually, the previews started at that time. And the movie was 2 hours and 22 minutes long.

How old do we think we are, for crying out loud? Must I remind you that I graduated from college 11 years ago? And I was old when that happened?

"This had better be a good movie, or I am sleeping through it," I told my partners-in-idiocy. They were quite intimidated by that threat, make no mistake.

Unfortunately for me, it was the best movie that I had ever seen with the title "Inception." Or, rather, the plot involved multiple realities/timelines, etc., that you have to keep track of or you get lost. I kind of like those types of stories and I didn't want to be lost (in limbo on the 4th level or deeper).

If the movie had been Romantic Comedy 3,257: This Time Love is Forever (starring, if I remember correctly, Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant), I would have had no worries about being lost:



Preview 1 - close eyes.

Preview 2 - REM.

Previews 3 through 17 - enjoy rest.

Wake up for Fox Fanfare. Close eyes at light, bubbly intro music.

Minute 35 - Open eyes as I shift my body for added comfort. Couple has met by this point. They are in love, but can't admit it to themselves, let alone each other. Aaaaand I'm back to sleep.

Minute 57 - Another body shift as I raise the armrest poking into my side. Couple is experiencing trials and some friction. They cannot take it. They are breaking u...sleeping again, as I hear faint sniffles coming from the row behind me.

Minute 92 - Couple is riding on a camelhorsellama away from their wedding. Everyone is happy. Roll credits. And stretch. In the end, not too much sleep is lost. It just cost me $30.

After all, can anyone really take more than 92 minutes of a romantic comedy? In fact, does it even take that long to tell that story?

Instead, we got home just after 1:00.

AM.

As in, after midnight. As in, I was up 4 hours later. No more excuses - back to the routine.

Maybe I'm not getting too old for this.