school days, school daze

so, i've talked to more than one of you who is a bit bewildered about going back to school. truth is, i've talked to some parents who are pretty freaked out, too! that first period morning bell on that first september day seems to come so quickly, doesn't it? what happened to summer? wasn't it just the fourth of july? and on and on.

the longer i live the more i realize that "back to school" comes very quickly in life. fourteen days of vacation go much more quickly than 14 days of school. three months of studying creep by in comparison to 3 months hanging with friends. four years of college speed by in comparison to four years at a 9-5 job.

some of this has to do with the ratio of time lived to time-yet-to live. when you're four, waiting six months until christmas seems like an eternity. it's not, but it seems like it is. and of course the reverse is also true: when you're 40 (i know: it's unimaginable, but just try!), what's one year? not so long, it seems.

the fact that life becomes increasingly complex as we get older doesn't help, either. it's harder to cherish the NOW and anticipate the FUTURE when we have so much to DO! again, christmas; when you were little it was almost all you thought about for from about halloween on. you couldn't wait for that december break, which seemed never to come. but today, as a young adult, well, you've got papers and finals and jobs to think about. christmas is exiting, but it's flanked by SATs, applying for schools, buying gifts for everyone, taking tests...it's harder to break through and revel in the anticipation...

i had a high school science teacher who used to say: "time flies whether you are having fun or not!" he said this very regularly, usually before a chemistry test or as a prep talk at the start of physics lab. we'd all grown. mr. smothers (his name; no joke) was soooo cheesy. he seemed to delight in seeing us cringe at his dorky "isms" and jokes. did he really think we were taking it to heart?

probably not, but, it turns out he had a point. time does go quickly, no matter if we're making the most of our opportunities or not, whether we want it to or not. so, here's to whining a little about the dying of summer and then getting to work at whatever it is we're working at. next summer will come, but not yet. not yet.