A long weekend

We finished our second full week of school. It was a great week, tiring but good. I love their excitement when they learn something new. Sometimes one of them will pump their little fists go in the air and they shout "I did it!"

I wish we as adults could keep our excitement alive like that when we learn something new. We always need to celebrate victories. Too often we dwell on failures.

I passed a small first grade boy in the hall. I looked down and noticed he had buttons atop his shirt, and looking closer, noticed that the buttons were holding on a cape, which was flapping behind him. I said, "You are wearing a cape!" He said, "Yes. I'm Superman."

I remember what it was like to be a kid and really believe a thing. My grandmother had a piano in her parlor and I used to play it. I'd bang my hands over the keys, up and down, hard or slow, and I am sure it was a cacophonous, ear-splitting mess. I distinctly remember that what I heard was a symphony of beautiful music. It sounded like the Vienna Philharmonic. For real. As long as he is wearing that cape, he really IS Superman. For him, the world has no boundaries and anything is possible.

Another little boy who I passed coming out of the bathroom, I asked, "Did you wash your hands?" Waving his palms around, he said "Sure! Look, nice and shiny!"

What a unique way to think of ourselves when we're clean. "Shiny." I wonder what we adults look like to him.

There are certain stock phrases I could tape record and press a button to play and replay all day. "Did you wash your hands?" is one. Another is, "Do you need a tissue?" ,"Are you going to throw up?" and "What happened right before he kicked you?" are several that would wear out the play button if I went through my day that way. And then there is the king of all kindergarten phrases, "Good job!"

My plans for this weekend are simple: tonight I got a Subway mini pizza and ate that while adding new songs to my 70's Youtube playlist. I grew up on Jim Croce, Paul Simon, Ambrosia, Pousette Dart Band, Marshall Tucker, James Taylor. They are going into my 70s playlist. The songs bring back powerful memories, some good, some bad, some just misty through sepia time, after all, it is now almost four decades ago as a high school kid rockin' out to the latest songs on Casey Kasem's top 40.

Saturday I'll go get my Bountiful Basket of produce and  process it, and depending on what I receive, cook. Sunday will be church, and Monday I'll watch To Sir With Love and a little known sequel, To Sir With Love II. And sleep. I'm kind of tired!