I know I’ve been writing a lot about smiling and light and positivity. As I’ve said before, I don’t advocate ignoring what’s really going on in the world around us. There is a lot of hullabaloo currently, and it’s hard to be positive and smile much of the time lately. So I promise, I’m not preaching to YOU; I’m preaching to ME.
Part of the reason I’m giving myself a pep talk is that summer is wearing me thin. I’m not sure if it’s the amount of work, the shake-up of my routine, the incessant heat, or a host of other things, but I’ve not felt like my normal self. I forewarned about this back in a post on June 29. While it’s safe to say I’m not exactly Nostradamus, I have been around the block a few times, and I’ve seen this happen almost every single summer.
I have a friend, we can call her Kathy. She’s a teacher with CMS, and we are completely opposite. During the school year she is focused, stressed and keeps her nose to the grindstone. She is work, work, work.
When the final bell rings, she is a new person. Her demeanor is like the kids she works with. She is always out with friends and family. She’s at the pool or on vacation. She’s doing things; she’s having fun. She forgets what the word “stress” means. And summer is my busiest time of year with the business.
The other day we were talking about summers and childhood in general. We came up with a list of things particular to childhood. Each item brought back so many good memories. We laughed as we reminisced, and then I decided there had to be an adult equivalent for each one. So here’s what I came up with:
Childhood Adulthood
Liar, liar pants on fire perjury
Checking for money in pay phones paying the phone bill
“Finders, keepers” replacing lost stuff
King of the hill passed over for promotion
“You owe me a coke” reciprocate invitations
“Not it” to get out of something “volun-told”
Step on a crack/break mom’s back pulling a muscle yawning
The funny thing is that a short while after this conversation, I was looking through a book of quotes, and I came across this little gem by author Brian Aldiss, “When childhood dies, its corpses are called adults.”
I cracked up at the mental image, and then I sobered up when I realized how truthful it is. I vowed to do something about it.
This week Paul and I are teaching an improv camp for kids, and I’m not going to lie. I’ve had dentist appointments I’ve looked forward to more. But Monday, when we met for the first time, I saw all the 9 - 15-year-olds who were excited and enthusiastic. They weren’t worried about how much they were learning, what it all meant, or how well they were doing.
They were laughing and talking and playing and making friends with people who were strangers the minute before. They weren’t afraid to be silly. They were there to have fun. That was their main intention. Now that I think about it, I’m not sure who’s teaching whom.
