BOUQUET OF SHARPENED PENCILS

Summer is drawing to a close....hmmm....not sure how I feel about that.  I have three days left, and I already have academic plans (ACT studying, debate research, etc....Oh have I mentioned I'm on the debate team? :) Anyway, it's always a little depressing.  Not sure how I feel about being a junior.  I'm excited to not be a little sophomore anymore.  I'm excited to wear my new school clothes and shoes.  :) I'm excited to see my friends.  I'm excited to start fresh.  I'm excited for being able to wear boots, scarves, and cardigans with the colder weather.  I'm excited for the idea of watching football. (The execution is still a little shaky.)  I'm excited with the idea of possibility.  I'm excited about my classes, they are interesting subjects.

I'm not excited for losing my sense of adventure.  Summer always has that you know?  The sense that anything is possible, and anything will happen.  School seems a little....dull.  I'm not excited for cold weather to come.  I'm not excited about not being able to run with the cross country team in the mornings.  I'm not excited about not having any fun trips planned anymore.  I'm not excited about the grass going yellow.  I'm not excited for homework or boring classes.  I'm not excited for having to get ready every single day.  I'm not excited with the feeling of...losing something important.

At the dinner table today, my family talked about living with an atmosphere of growth.  I guess that's something I need to  work on, being willing to grow.  Grow even when the sun isn't always shining.  Grow even though I have to wear mascara every day now, or have homework at night.  I need to learn to grow into myself too. 

So, get out your bouquet of sharpened pencils. (Kudos to those that picked up that reference...I told you I quote it with disturbing regularity.)  Learn to love the smell of Scotch tape.  The school year is coming  and I will soon get to wear my winter boots.  Plus side!

-E