"What I Did This Summer"

My kids are probably long past having to write a first day of school essay on their summer adventures, but nevertheless, the topic comes up--with friends, with teachers, and for me, with other parents. There will be people talking about sleepaway camps and exotic vacations. There will be discussion of new skills and great accomplishments. The ten-week period called summer will be examined, celebrated, and then finally mourned, as we immerse ourselves in the rigors of school and the cool breezes of fall.

What will be said about our summer, the mishmash of days and activities that came out of uncertainty and changing circumstances? What will be thought of the ten weeks of very active and often not very active days? What will we say when we look back upon these few months?

I have often thought that what we would remember would be aimless hours, indecision, the inability to do because of too much uncertainty to plan. What we didn't, or couldn't, do, rather than what we did.

But as I reflect on these ten weeks, I think about the laughter when we, left to make it up as we went along, found ourselves enjoying each other's company. I think about the sleeping late when we didn't have to run somewhere, and the times when we each "rose to the occasion" when someone else needed it. I realize that while there may be things we didn't do, there were a great many planned and unplanned things we DID do.

So, as I begin to write my own imaginary "what I did this summer" essay, I feel good about the faces, and the moments, that I see in my head. I feel at peace about the sentences that will be written and about the conclusions that will be drawn. And even if it's not the most entertaining story to present to the class, it will be a writing assignment to keep in my drawer, and in my memory, for a long time.