Today was the last day of school.
Its been a while since I've had a last-day-of-school day. But its always one of my most homesick days when it hits.
When I was in college, it would start right as I was walking out of the classroom/testing center after finishing my last final. I would remove my shoes, of course (very difficult when you live in flip flops) and walk through the grass with the warm Hawaii sunshine at my back.
The last day of school feeling. Such freedom, such jubilance. No more papers, test, classes, homework. No more strict routines--I think that was the best part. I don't mind working hard (I submit my very respectable GPAs in HS and college and a trail of very satisfied employers as evidence of this fact), but I hate doing so on some one else's schedule.
I feel that glee of freedom start pulsing through me and suddenly, if I close my eyes I can transport myself back to Arrow street. Walking down the street from the high school to my parents' house barefoot, the parking lot at the school nearly empty. Headed home for some flames in the fire pit and some tromping through the creek looking for decent willows to use as hot dog/marshmallow sticks. Drinking full-sugar soda and eating delightfully unnatural snacks like Cheet-ohs. Sitting around with Sam and Stephen, bonding through mockery of each other, ourselves, others we loved who weren't present. Looking forward to a summer full of fireworks, movie trips to Missoula, swimming at the dam and tromping barefoot through the creek (man, that sounds like such a stupid, painful idea in retrospect--how I loved it!), powwows and parades.
Its been 3 years since my last last-day-of-school day. Those three years have been surprisingly insane--good, bad, busy! I think a backyard campfire with old friends sounds like the best idea I've had in a long time. How 'bout it, Sam? Stephen's 3,000 miles away doing who-knows-what, so I doubt he's much interested (though it breaks my heart to say). How 'bout a trip to California, where we can go out to the coast and have a bonfire on the beach and watch our kids play in the waves? Our husbands have had heard the stories of you and I and fire plenty of times. I think its high time they saw it. Wanna celebrate the last day of school with me again?
1 comment:
Dude You don't know how wonderful that sounds. That was always probably the most eventful time of the year. hayley gettting darts in the leg "i have to pee" michaels eyebrows getting singed off. Burning our papers from marta's class. i think those will forever be some of my fondest memeories of those years. Doing it at the beach sounds oh so wonderful. Maybe we will have to come visit you at the end of summer. Kurtis will have more days off then. i think it sounds like a good idea i've seriously been needing a good ocean fix anyway. its been just over three years since i was there last. and that is way to long. We'll see if i can con kurtis into it although i think we might have to convince him to let me play with fire because he doesn't let me because of all the stories.
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