7 Not Facing School Takes

Last updated on: August 26, 2016 at 7:55 am by Anne Kennedy

7 Not Facing School Takes 2016-08-26T07:55:12-04:00 Anne Kennedy

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One
It’s so interesting to feel the weather. Nobody, it appears, slept last night because of the humidity. It’s not that hot, it just has to rain. The air is full of rain that won’t fall. It’s so interesting to walk around in the house and just feel the actual temperature sticking to your actual skin. It’s a sensation I remember having a long time ago, way back in Africa, where there isn’t any choice but to experience the weather, however hot it is. Of course, I’m not willing to carry this charming, old fashioned way into the winter. When it gets cold I’m going to want the heat on, and no fussing from anyone.

Two
In my pathetic half baked effort to “get in the best shape of my life” besides lying around asking What Is Life Anyway as one of many stalling mechanisms, I’ve been dragging myself along on Matt’s morning walk. He’s so chipper, bouncing along in the morning light, cheerily timing our progress on his phone so that we will turn around exactly at the halfway mark and not a moment too soon. I prefer not to speak before ten a.m., nor take any exercise, so it hasn’t been that great for our marriage. Unless through suffering we are bonded more tightly together. But one day it was worth it because, in our usual trip down the main drag, we paused to savor this week’s advertisement.

“Oh Honey,” I said to the universe (cough), if you don’t know I can’t possibly help you.
Three
How awesome, though, that they are prepared to discuss their identity–or be taught about it? Probably in opposition to other kinds of people who are not Universalist and Unitarian, because to define something you have to narrow it down, just a teeny bit. Bet they’re going to use the Blind Elephant Story. Gosh I wish I could go, except not really.
Four
Even late New Englanders are turning their thoughts and minds toward school. The college students started back this week, and I’m beginning to see first day pictures closer to home. I finally ordered books, and I’ve got to make a list of all the online open houses my two oldest have to log into this coming week. But still–don’t rush me. There are some big huge mountains I have to climb over before I get there and I need to climb over them in a decent and orderly way. Which might mean that I end up starting school around Christmas time…just kidding. I hope. Hey, did y’all know that Christmas is on a Sunday this year?
“What day is Easter on?” asked one of my children.
“Sunday.” Ha ha ha ha.
“That’s not what I meant,” whined the child.
“Look it up,” I said. So we did and discovered his birthday is going to be on Good Friday.
“Oh good,” I said, “that’s a great day. And you won’t need any presents or anything. Jesus dying on the cross for your sins! What More Could You Ask For!”
Five
Really grateful that our online school, the last two years anyway, has accommodated itself to the date of Easter. This year the spring holiday is in Holy Week. They’ll have to be back in class the week after, but I’ll take it. Holy Week needs to be lived all the way, not shared with normal life.
Six
Why am I still talking about school! No no no! I’m not there yet!
How times have changed. It used to be that I would start school in July, and keep going until the next July. But this year has been an everlasting summer, a complete forgetting of all academic pursuits. I wonder how the year will be, having not done anything for so long. Will they be fresh and bright and ready to learn? Or will they have forgotten the totality of everything they ever knew?
Wait! No! I am Not Talking About School!
Seven
In a heart breaking, if planned, turn of events, my mother, Nonie to the children, is off to find my dad in Europe and galavant around the world for a bit, before coming back here one more time on the way back to Kenya. It’s going to be really bad when she goes because I haven’t done even one single load of laundry while she’s been here, and I’ve only done the dishes twice. And the children haven’t done Anything. Not that that’s why we’re sad that she’s leaving, but it’s going to make it A Whole Lot Worse. But she deserves a rest from us, a break from keeping the day to day demands of body and soul on an even keel. And I need to step up and stop being so lazy. And the kids–well, let’s just not think about what they need for a few more hours, at least until all the weeping has finally ceased. Who’s with me in hating change? No matter how foreseen it is. Surely God, who doesn’t have to change, should give us a break and let things go along without great and troubling upheavals. Or maybe we wouldn’t like that either.

And now I will arise and go walk around in the small circle of my own imagination, go check out quick takes!

In conversation with children

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