school days

The last couple of months I've been helping with the planning of my high school reunion. We've had two meetings already and I've seen some people I haven't seen in quite awhile. Thirty years to be exact. I have been out of high school for longer than many of my friends have been alive. A lifetime. Several of my classmates talk about their retirement dates at these meetings. It's weird,I don't see my retirement anytime soon and I'm not nearly old enough.
I felt lucky this morning to be the one to get to wake my daughter up and say "two more days of school". The look on her face says it all and she gets right up. No groaning and hugging the pillow as she rolls over. She eats breakfast and is ready to head out even before I am. I wish we could bottle this to use on those Tuesday mornings in January when the light at the end of the tunnel is so dim you need a flashlight at breakfast. But it's in the air!
Traffic on the way to school is extra heavy. The line of cars extends from the school drive out into the road. Children that typically ride the bus are being delivered in mom's car. Parents are either running late or just driving the kids to school themselves to be part of the excitement. The kids get out of the cars laughing and almost run in the building. The teachers that usually direct traffic out front are propped against the railing and... smiling? Two more days.
It's kind of like Christmas. No matter how old you are you still feel it. The grocery stores have popsicles on their rail ends. The bread men don't even bother to put the hamburger and hot dog buns on the shelf, they leave carts of them out in the isle. Colorful bags of charcoal and lighter fluid at every corner. Summertime! I don't know how long you have to be out of school to not feel this excitement, but I do know that it is more than thirty years!