Today was Christie's last day of 8th grade. Before I left for work this morning I wished her a happy last day. It's hard to make conversation with her at that early hour--I am up a whole 1 1/2 hours before I wake her up. When I'm raring to go, she's struggling just to keep her eyes open. Usually I talk, and she grunts.
She didn't want to say much this morning either, but I felt it important to persist. I wanted to make sure she heard me. I wanted to emphasize the importance of the day.
It was not only the end of the school year, but it was the end of her elementary years. It could be the last time she stepped into the building where she'd spent the last 9 years of her life. The accumulation of friends, teachers, homework, knowledge, the dramatic trials and tribulations of being a kid...was all coming to an end on this day.
I didn't tell her any of this...are you nuts? I reminded her to simply pay attention to the day. Feel it. And make someone happy.
The phone rang at my desk at 4:00 when she got home from school. She was overflowing with emotion about the day--having to say goodbye to beloved teachers, and to friends who were moving away or going to different high schools next year.
I suspect that Christie felt the day just like I had wanted her to. And it made me realize that we need to find something special about every single day. There are many discoveries just waiting to be found, but we need to pay attention. We need to be looking.
A day gone by without notice is just a friggin wasted day.
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