Hello August!

It is August and all kinds of media are now in full "Back to School" mode.  TV commercials are filled with back to school advertisements on clothes, supplies, food for snacks and lunches, just to name a few.  There are articles in newspapers and magazines on how to cope with the last days of summer and how to prepare for those first days of school.

Before my retirement, I was a second grade teacher and this was the time of the year when all my thoughts focused on going back to school.  I created lists of supplies I needed, ideas for lesson plans, updated my calendar with meeting dates and times, decided when I needed to go into school to prepare my classroom and went thru my closet to see what I needed to be appropriately dressed for school each day.  This was also the time of year when my husband and sons knew I would be asking for their help in getting my classroom ready for the new school year.  August became their busy month just as much as mine.

I have been retired for 2 years now.  The first time August rolled around and I did not have to do any of the school prep craziness, it was a very emotional time for me.  I actually missed all the crazy planning and work.  It was strange not to be doing it.  It was so bad that to make the transition easier, my husband took me out of town on a small vacation in order for me to put some distance between me and school.  This year August has rolled around again, as it always does, and I am doing so much better.  I can watch the tv commercials and smile.  I can read the advertisements in the Sunday paper and skip past the sections on back to school.  Stories on coping with the end of summer and beginning of school in my favorite magazines are stories I bypass without guilt.  I even find myself happy in that I do not have to put myself thru all the stress that comes with the beginning of the school year. 

This year, we are planning 2 small vacations in August without the worry of a time frame.  I will enjoy sleeping in until 9am and not have to start slowly training my body to get up at 5am once school starts.  I will sit on my deck and enjoy the warm sunny days of summer with my coffee and not miss sitting in professional development meetings all day.  In short, I will enjoy August!!