Farewell to Summer

Fishing at the lake.

I juiced this summer of every delicious drop of relaxation and pleasure.  It was fantastic.  I spent my hours cooking, lounging, traveling, building, planting, tickling, swimming, sleeping, reading, exploring, and eating.  It was a time to recharge, see my Minnesota family, old friends and soak up the joy of my own little Austin family.  And, as of this morning, July 21st, it is over.

One drawback of working for a school with an extended school year is a retracted summer.  I know that as a teacher I enjoy a lengthy summer break unheard of in other fields.  So I am grateful for my 5.5 weeks of summer bliss.  But I will admit to being jealous of the several weeks of additional summer my counterparts working for traditional schools are going to enjoy.  Jealous.

Delicious grilled chicken with garden fresh herbs.

At the same time, I am excited to be going back to work.  I would love to kick back to read another book or take my kiddos to the pool, but I know what I do in the next few weeks will make a big impact in the lives of the children and families of my community.  The extra hours and days of teaching and learning will add up to students who are prepared for college and ready to change the
world.

So I am eager to get back to work.  I am excited to see my colleges and friends to hear about their adventures.  I am inspired to learn some new things to further prefect my craft.  But most of all, I am looking forward to the new group of students that I have the privilege to be teaching this year.

Enjoying a final glass wine in the chair I built.  Yep, I built it!

So farewell summer!  It is time to go back to planning, teaching, coaching, motivating, cajoling, disciplining, and inspiring.  This summer was so juicy and concentrated.  It's brevity made it precious, and it preciousness helped me appreciate every second.