September Blog
As the summer unwinds and comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting. I have two children, a boy and a girl, and it was a busy summer to say the least. Being a teacher has its benefits, but it also makes you very busy during the summer with kids. I’d bring them and their friends to the local pond and other places at least three or four times a week. Thank god I'd often have one of my best friends Jen with me. Another good thing was the kid’s parents always reciprocated. There were sleep overs and one complete failure trying to camp in Maine with five kids in tow. Sometimes I’d think to myself, this is crazy. I’m busier now with two kids and their friends than if I was teaching 90 kids. I know I thank god that I have such healthy and relatively happy kids with plenty of friends. But there was always the little voice inside my head that just wanted a break from the everyday. I did do that a couple times and realized I was rushing home to them. Not because I had to, but because I wanted to. I missed them, and they certainly missed me. However, that little voice was at times still a little frustrated when I didn’t have time to go to A Touch of Karma or meditate as much as I had planned. But that’s the way parenting works. It’s confusing and sometimes frustrating, but it teaches us so much more than we realize.
And as usual, with kids, things have changed within three days of school. My son used to be the most open kid in the world. Just last week I knew all the goings on in his life. Who was dating who, who did what and what they were going to do. His life was an open book. I truly knew it all, but now it’s changed. He’s independent, doesn’t come to my classroom anymore, and certainly doesn’t tell me who he likes for a girlfriend or what his friends are up to. What’s with that? I thought I was a cool mom. Apparently not. So when I think back on the summer, and all the people and country songs that drove me nuts saying , “You’re going to miss this,” well, they were right. I hope that I didn’t take all that open-ness for granted. I guess in the end, I just assumed that things don’t change. I’ve also learned change isn’t necessarily for the worse, but different It's the way it’s supposed to be. It’s good. Relationships are supposed to change so everyone can grow. So I’ve decided I have to let go in a sense, and trust that the universe has a plan. Yet we also have to embrace each moment with the ones we love. We can't take any moment fo granted because things and relationships change I’m learning right now that I have to embrace each moment and accept that it will change. I've reflected and learned that life goes so fast that it's easy to miss the moments that count. I am lucky I've been given such beautiful and trying kids. And now, as corny as it sounds, I know "I am going to miss this!"
