Dear Family: Newness
Dear Family,
I almost didn’t go for a walk this morning. Susan, my Wednesday walking buddy texted to tell me she needed to beg off and I very nearly took that as a sign that I should keep my feet up and stay cozy for a bit longer before diving into a day that is sure to be hectic on several fronts.
Sunrise, with pink fluffy clouds, seen through a window & screen.
But I love a morning walk, and I always feel better when I take one. I suddenly remembered two things, the first of which is a simple fact: today is the first day of the new school year for local public school students. I have always loved first day of school energy – the sense of possibility and newness, the frisson of nerves, the whole shebang.
The second thing I remembered is more memory than fact, one of those memories that a bit fuzzy in details but clear as can be in terms of mood and feel. Many years ago, when our boxer Piper was young and the boys were maybe in late elementary school, or maybe Owen was starting middle school … I’m not too worried about the math of it … anyway, that fine, crisp late August morning I was taking Piper for a very brief walk in our neighborhood. I remember walking past a house that I knew was lived in by Mrs. Poulos — an older lady who I just barely knew, who lived alone in her retirement.
I remember seeing her front room light come on as I walked by and picturing her starting her day. I remember thinking to myself, “I wonder if she knows that school starts today. I wonder if she’s thinking about what the first day of school is like, for parents and for children.”
And so this morning, despite the change of plans, I went walking – this time with Iona because time has indeed passed and Piper is but a lovely memory at this point. And as I walked, I remembered. I remembered that first day feeling. I remembered being a school-age child, I remembered being a parent of young ones, and I remembered that time is fleeting and worth paying attention to.
And as I walked and as I remembered, I did what I could to send out blessings of love and courage and hope to all who are starting a new chapter of life, with blank notebook pages, freshly sharpened pencils, and varying levels of enthusiasm and trepidation. If you felt a bit of love floating in the ether as you got started, maybe it was from me.
Happy new year, friends!
love,
Susie