Surprised

I'm not one for ever wanting summer to end. I love having my kids at home, the noise, the chaos (well, most of the time) and the opportunities to just be with them. (We joked at the very beginning of the summer about how fast it would pass. We, meaning me and my mini me oldest, who thinks like I do.) My husband was certain we were trying to suck the life out of the joyous anticipation summer brings. He was right. Left to ourselves, we would probably focus on the ending of something fun versus enjoying each moment to its fullest with gratefulness. Who likes fun to end? This quality is evident anytime my oldest goes to a friends house. Her first question is always "How long do I get to stay?" She is working on the disappointment factor that rises up in her when fun things come to an end. This is also evident, on my part, when we plan for vacation. My thoughts always drift to thinking about the end of our vacation, the length of our stay, and how many days we have left. Pretty sad, huh? Anyway, all that to say, anytime our schedule was mentioned, my husband found it humorous to poke fun (in his best woe is me tone of voice) at our "Eeyore mentality".

So summer did go by fast. (I would love to say "told you so" but I won't). I found myself fearful of wallowing in my tears and grieving a new season with all 3 kids in school 5 days a week. We took the oldest girls to school on the first day, dropped them off, headed to preschool to drop off the youngest, shed a coupld of tears, and then headed to the gym, alone. Something interesting happened. I found myself feeling pretty good, almost giddy. I even felt a little guilty for this new found freedom. As the days have passed and we have a week under our belt, I realize how this season is actually making me healthier mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. I'm quite pleasantly surprised and thankful for a new chapter.