The Serenity of Summer School

Amidst the hassles of summer school is a time of solace for me. True, there is no sleeping in on these lazy days of summer, and we're quite literally on the go all morning long, four times a week, five weeks in a row--six, if you count Orchestra.

For the past three years I've driven to three different schools each summer, with times overlapping. All have been in opposite directions and clear across town from each other. But I've spent the two hours between the longest waiting period as a time of peaceful relaxation. No dishes, laundry, or cleaning. It's my time to do as I please with no distractions, something any mom would covet. Time to read, write, or work on my embroidered tablecloth. (That, I must add, is filled with almost 16 years worth of fading dinner guest’s signatures, patiently waiting to be immortalized in colored floss.) All this is mine without the guilt of needing to urgently do something more pressing. The 50 minute round trip is just not worth the time--nor my sanity--to spend at home for a mere hour. And, with the price of gas, it's a more economical choice!

So, here I sit at the north side of town, listening to birds chirping, rustling leaves in the breeze, and the laughter of children playing in a nearby park. Enviable, I know, but like all things like this that are too good to be true, it has an end. --LKR