We are ramping up to one of my least favorite times. I absolutely hate election season. I didn’t use to hate it. I used to be fascinated by it. I liked to hear how people thought they could fix the city, state, and country. I liked hearing the plans they had. I even enjoyed listening to some of the debating that happened. But, life is changing. This is no longer a time that I look forward to because it brings new ideas and fresh perspectives. It is now a time marked by hate ads, ugly words, and broken friendships. It is a time where the fresh perspectives and new ideas have been replaced by criticism, lies, and mean girl sayings that would make Regina George look like a saint.
I grew up being told that there were just certain things we didn’t talk about in public – politics, religion, and other people. Why did that change? Why is there no civil discourse? Why am I getting attack ads in the mail every single day? I listen to a lot of people talk and I keep hearing the same things over and over. If we are all tired of it, then why are we tolerating it? Why are we okay with consuming it? I stop at the trash bin outside the house everyday and throw the ads away before I even make it inside with them. I don’t want that junk in my house or in my life. Life is changing, and I’m not sure I like it.
Today, we take B to football camp with his team. He will be gone for 4 days. I’m excited for him. This will be a good time for them, although it is a tough time with lots of work. Yesterday, we took him back to school shopping. We are headed into his junior year. When I pick him up from camp, he will be less than 2 weeks from driving on his own. The days are winding down where he needs me to get him places. The days are winding down where he needs me on a daily basis. I’m excited for his junior year. I’m excited to see the hard work the team has been putting in all summer pay off on the field. I’m sad to acknowledge that the time is growing short before he will be off on his own. I look at him and don’t see the little boy that I used to see. Life is changing, and I’m not sure I like it.
A is getting ready to turn 21 and start her senior year in college. She works practically full time and has her future set in her mind. She doesn’t really need us, and that is good. She’s doing what she needs to do. It is still a little weird to think that she will be moving on with her own life. Pretty soon, she won’t look to us for advice or things that she needs, she will be doing it all on her own. I’m excited for her, but… Life is changing, and I’m not sure I like it.
I’m ramping up to head back to work (in the office, I’ve been working from home most of the summer). We will welcome in a new crop of freshmen, transfer students, and graduate students. I will have a whole new group of job-embedded students. I’m handing over a couple of my classes for the first time. I’m excited, but also nervous. I absolutely trust the people I am handing them to, but I have this control issue that is hard to let go of. David will be back to working every day, we will have football at night and on the weekends, A will be working and in school, B will be driving, I’ll be back to teaching in person a full load (but with one less night class). I worry about keeping up some of the habits that I have put into my life that have made it better this summer. I will miss the boat days and being able to work surrounded by the dogs and the cat. Life is changing, and I’m not sure that I like it.
You know what, life is changing. Although there are some aspects that I may not like, there are others that I am looking forward to. In the end, it will all happen the way it is supposed to happen. The election will eventually end and maybe people will get back to being civilized. Whether I like it or not, I can’t change it. I can just live the way that I feel like we should be living. Not allowing the junk into my life, ignoring the hate and the ugliness, and trying to make the best decisions I can make. B is going to be driving. I will worry, but I am also really proud of the human he is becoming. If he doesn’t grow up, I will never see what he becomes, so there is good in that. I want to see who he ends up being. The same thing with A. I can’t wait to see her accomplishing her dreams as a lawyer. She’s had a ton of growth in the past year. It is so worth it to watch them grow up.
While it is hard to think about a new semester without some of the students that I had previously because they graduated, the beauty of teaching is that I always get new students to pour into and love on and I get to watch them become who they are meant to be. The changes that are coming for David and I will be beautiful and peaceful as we move towards that empty nest and having time to just be the 2 of us. Football will slow down, track will start and end, and it will be summer once again. B won’t need me to get to practice anymore, but that also means he is gaining independence. Life is changing, and I’m choosing to embrace it. I may not like everything that is happening, but the end result will be amazing. I am sure of that.
Beautiful Minds Inspire Others 