I found out today that my daughter has swimming class on her first day of school tomorrow. Swimming, with assorted props and costumes required. Tomorrow.
It is not easy to find swimming props and costumes in New York City at the end of the summer. After a work day that ends at 7pm. It doesn't mean we didn't try--we pretty much always try. But a sweaty hour later, we realized that we'd better come up with props and costumes at home that would work, which we pretty much always manage to do. So, problem solved, at least for tomorrow.
I am glad to have solved the problem, at least temporarily, but I find myself wondering why such a problem even has to exist on the first day. What happened to the days when all you had to think about on Day 1 was what outfit you'd wear, whether you'd finished your summer reading, and which of your friends would be in your class? These days, we add the stress of a bathing suit, transportation (will the bus come? Will the train be late?), and forms without which you might not be able to start the year.
I am sure that twenty-four hours from now, we will be calmer and ready to face Day 2, and the whole year in front of us. Well, my kids will be calmer and ready--I'm not sure about myself. We just have to get through a day of feeling as if we were thrown into the deep end. And make sure we can tread water well enough to survive.
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