Driving into work this past Monday, I saw lots of kids standing on the side of the road waiting for the bus to come by and pick them up. Since it was the first day of school, I paid close attention to some of these children and could see the concern on their faces. Not too many of them were smiling and happy to be returning to their educational endeavors.
I must admit I hated the first day of school, too. I was always anxious about what the new school year would bring. Who would be my teacher? Would I have old friends in my class and would I be able to make new friends? Would the school work be too hard and would I fail? All of these questions and a million more would be spinning through my head.
Of course, looking back now, I realize that all of those worries were unfounded and that I would remember those days as some of the best in my life. What I would give to be able to go back and relive some of those times.
New clothes were always a big thing about the first day of school. We didn't have a lot of money when I was growing up, so starting school was primarily the time that we got to expand our wardrobe. New jeans and T-shirts, and of course a new pair of tennis shoes were always on the menu. In my house, you only got one new pair of shoes and they better last you the whole school year or else you would be wearing your old shoes or your church shoes to school.
Some of my friends would also get new clothes to wear for P.E. (physical education). I wasn't part of that crowd. My P.E. outfit consisted of cut off bluejeans from the previous school year and one of last year's T-shirts. But that didn't matter, because I always seemed to run much faster, thanks to my new tennis shoes.
I also loved eating in the lunch room. A whole week's worth of lunches could be purchased for the princely sum of $2. Pizza day was my favorite. I can still taste the amazing combination of cheese, sauce, bread and meat. For some reason, the fact that the pizza was cut in a square shape seemed to add to the deliciousness. I can honestly say in my mind that pizza still ranks as the best ever.
My least favorite lunch was soup day. We would have vegetable soup with a cheese sandwich and a brownie. I hated the soup and would always attempt to trade it for someone's brownie. Now, these would be intense negotiations. Sometimes I would have to offer up not only my soup but also the secret hidden piece of bubble gum that I would be saving to clandestinely enjoy during my late afternoon science class. I think many of my schoolmates could have gone to the United Nations as negotiators or maybe at least be used car dealers based on their bartering skills.
Probably the thing I remember most fondly from my school days is the anticipation of that 3:30 bell. Knowing when that bell rang, I would be free from the drudgery of school for another day. When that bell would sound, I would gather my stuff and begin the walk home with my friends. The conversations we had on those walks were amazing. Life was new and mostly mysterious to us. Possibilities were endless, and ghosts and Superman were real.
I miss those days. I wish I could let today's kids know how much they are going to miss their school days, as well. You will never make friends like those friends and you will never have experiences like those experiences, and most importantly, you will never be that young again.
But hey, maybe youth is overrated today. I would hate to have to tweet, Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram as much as kids do today. It seems exhausting.
I will always have my memories of no internet, cigarette smoke in restaurants, no sunscreen, the Cold War, asbestos, no seat belts, hitchhiking, hair bands, party line telephones, mullets, three channels of television and rubbing dirt into your skinned knee to cure it.
Oh, the good old days.
Editorial on 08/19/2018