It’s back to school for  my grandsons and that includes a couple of toddlers in playgroups, a kindergartener, first grader, a fourth grader and a fifth grader.

I remember those days back when I was in those classes and beyond. I recall the mix of emotions – from anticipation, worry, excitement, happiness to eagerness. I remember looking  forward to the daily music, art, lessons and new friendships. To the newness in everything.

 

And today,  as a grandmother who doesn’t attend formal school anymore, I still can relate to every one of those feelings of going back to school. The newness and freshness of a back-to-school child are feelings I enjoy in my everyday life with all its mundaneness.

“Back to school” feelings don’t only belong to children who begin school each year. The feelings and experiences are universal to everyone in our everyday experiences, even grandmothers, bubbies and all of us in middle-aged years.

Here they are – the newness of our lives as groovy grandmas and groovy grownups.

1. New Friends – Both online and in person I tend to collect friends and acquaintances.
2. New Clothes – Ya, I buy those sometimes and it’s a great feeling.
3. New Lessons – every failure and success is a chance to learn new lessons.
4. New Classrooms – whether in the grocery store or at our computer, we create our virtual classrooms.
5. New Teachers – I look to my friends, family, students and grandchildren as my mirror and teacher.
6. New Books – We feel like we are inundated with reading material, but each day I try to weed out the relevant material and incorporate
7. New Chances – Opportunities abound every day of our lives. Do we grab them or let them pass?
8. New Games – Our leisure time is spent with games, laughter and fun. Or do we create unhealthy games to mask our true feelings in relationships?
9. New Rules – We are continuously reconciling old and new rules and figuring things out.
10. New Shoes – Who doesn’t love a new pair of shoes? Or two or three?

 

What are your Back-To-School Life experiences?