Bad mama that I am, I have always delighted in the return of my circus act  back to school. Sure I shed a tear or two on that very first day for all five of them when they lined up and marched into their kindergarten classes. That’s a huge milestone…a major shift in what was once their center of the Universe…ME!…to the teachers and new best friends that their attention now gravitates to and orbits around. I’m not made of stone. Those were emotional moments in the life of our family as it has grown.

But praise be, even after the kindergarten drop-off, I still ran off to celebrate heading out for a nice, long, guilt-free run followed by a long, indulgent shower and maybe a Starbucks date with friends followed by the decadence of mopping my kitchen floor or  folding laundry uninterrupted. Even better, on the nights where I work 7 PM to 7 AM, I can enjoy the absolute bliss of five to six hours of sleep before my circus returns home from school.

I LOVE Back to School. I celebrate it…every bliss-filled, quiet day and hour of it. Once the last circus clown is off in the morning, I get crazy, real crazy and turn off the TV, the radio and even the computer and drink in the delight of silence. It will be broken soon enough…say around 3 PM. But for now, I am enjoying this afternoon delight.