The Rhythms That Define Our Lives - Day 2 #SOL17

 

 

I retired three years ago and immediately missed being with kids and teachers. As a principal, I spend my days with them and lived out the rhythm of school life. The start of a new school year, greeting the kids and watching their learning unfold, parent conferences, holiday programs, staff meetings, talent shows, and field days. 

Once I retired, I missed the rhythm of the school year. It took me awhile to get used to the absence of the milestones that marked the passing of the school year.

About the same time that I retired, the school district in which I live opened a new middle school and the entrance to the school is directly across from my house. And so a new rhythm started. Fourteen buses make the turn into the school drive each morning. I hear the rumble of the engines as the buses slow down to make the turn and then head up to the school.

As I wake from sleep, I hear the buses rumble toward the school. I can tell when it's a school day or an occasional day when school is closed. I can tell when its the weekend. And I can tell when it's summertime in the absence of that early morning greeting as bus after bus comes by.

The rhythm of the school year is still with me. It's a little more passive because I can choose to rise or stay cuddled under the covers a few more minutes. But it is one of the rhythms of my life that mark my days. It is part of me. 

What are the rhythms that mark your days?