New school days, change and do-overs

I had the distinct joy of watching my girls go back to school this week. Avery is starting second grade and Lily is making the big transition to middle school (gulp.) Gulp for me not for her. She is thrilled, ready for the challenge and only a bit nervous. I was the one with tears in my eyes as the bus pulled away. Thank God she did not see the tears..it was bad enough that I waved goodbye to her through the bus window. Parental displays of emotion are not very cool to the 6th grade set.

We have shopped for binders, pens, crayons, pencils...etc and the always sought after needed hand sanitizer and kleenex for the classroom. Everything, even the new sneakers are shiny and new. After the sticker shock; I got a kick out of watching my kids sort, stack, decorate and organize their supplies. Everything is exciting and different - new teachers, routines, subjects, stuff to learn, classmates and as in Lily's case - a new school.

I started thinking that there was a certain peace and even beauty in this process. A clean slate...every year. Of course, transcripts and reputation follow a student, but there is a tremendous opportunity to start fresh.

What if life had "do-overs" like this? A chance every once in a while to really start fresh. Not New Year's Eve new with resolutions that often don't make it past the champagne toast, but real opportunities to try on new skills, new stuff to learn and altered routines. In the case of our kids, this annual process is just how things work. As adults, we get into ruts, limited thinking and self doubt resulting in fear of change. Imagine if every year or two, we adults changed jobs or workplaces, learned new skills, made new friends and had a chance for a "do-over."

Hmmm, makes me wonder if once again - I have something to learn from my kids!