JoshuaKaiser.com Joshua Kaiser's Blog

I Miss Back to School

A Very Excited Jonah

Forgive me for being a little random, but I'm feeling deep in thought and in need of expressing myself.
As I'm starting up my last set of classes for my Bachelor's degree, and with the kids starting school themselves soon, I can't help but feel nostalgic. I miss and admire the experience that my kids are getting over the next week or so - shopping for school clothes, picking out fun pencil boxes, getting folders and backpacks and other things that say something about who they are as little people. Every year school felt like a fresh start to me. I would show up with my stacks of blank paper and freshly sharpened pencils feeling optimistic, like I was really going to accomplish something this year. And ultimately, I did accomplish something - I grew up. For better or for worse that progression of events is inevitable.
Now the fresh starts in life aren't quite so well defined as the end of summer break or the start of a new year. A new pack of pencils isn't quite as fun as it used to be (although they still bring me back to a joyful reminiscence of my childhood). And there's generally no congratulations and 3 month long break at the end of a hard set of tasks accomplished. What's the point? I guess it's just that it makes me appreciate the little breaks that much more, and makes me admire and appreciate the stage that my own little boys are in their lives right now. It encourages me to make the most of it.