Back to School

We're already seeing color in the trees here in upstate New York. Nights are suddenly cooler. Like many of you, I've got that old "back to school" feeling; for me, it's a tightening in the chest, an urge to sit up straighter, a glance around with renewed vision. What a mess, my thought bubble reads. What have I been doing this summer to produce such chaos?

More than New Year's Eve ever does, the impending first day of school prompts me to make resolutions. This year I will keep my desk neater so that I don't undermine my ability to work. This year I will expand my repertoire. This year I will return to suspended projects and make something magical. The bounty at the farmers' market has me cooking every day and packing lunch-box-sized portions into the big freezer in the basement for the coming months. This is the time of year my label maker gets its toughest workout. I fight my way through the crowded aisles at Staples and finger file folders. I put on sweaters even when it's not really cold yet, just because it seems like the thing to do.

It's all a process of mentally disengaging from the loosey-goosey habits of summer. I don't really need new file folders. I've got everything I need already; it's mostly in my head, anyway. More file folders are not the answer. I will walk my daughter to her first day of third grade on Wednesday, come home, and get back to work.