It’s finally upon us… the last day of school! After ten months of getting up at 4:45 AM, countless after school rehearsals, entertaining almost two hundred students aged thirteen to eighteen for eight hours a day, grading papers, preparing for competitions, weekends filled with school tasks, and putting on numerous performances, it is finally time to sit down and take a rest. Time for reading lists, Netflix binges, pitchers of iced tea, and sleeping in till at least 7:00. It will be glorious!
I know I always TELL my kids with a wink and a smile that I won’t think of them till at least July… that I will put my backpack in a far corner of the house and pretend school isn’t real for at least a month… well, it simply isn’t true. My students are always on my heart and my mind. I hope that they are safe, and making good choices, and well fed. I get excited for the family reunion we will have in August and hearing about all the adventures they had over the summer. And I prepare my heart for the goodbyes I will have to make as another group of seniors grow up and set off on their own.
As June turns into July, I begin planning concerts, and lessons, and make way for the epic things we will accomplish in the coming school year. I split my days between fun and work, readying myself for what is to come. I remind myself that I am not, in fact, retired yet and that I have a job that requires a lot of time, energy, and heart.
But for now… for today… I will raise a glass to the year that is over. I will take a long nap. I will fly away and spend a few days sunning myself on the beach. I will do some things I want to do for me. And in a few weeks… I will begin planning for another year with my dear loved ones.
Have a good summer, students. Make good choices. Know that always, I love you and I am here for you.
Forty Fat and Fabulous 