The approaching storms have been showing their colors all afternoon, gathering stacking clouds along with darkening skies. Now the thunder has begun and my cranky kitty just scurried, no - make that slunk - down the steps to the lower level, where she will cower until the storm has passed. In this case, she may be there for a while as it is predicted that a series of storms will roll through for the next twenty-four hours.
I ran into a former teaching colleague this morning at a well-known big-box store. She was there with her two young children, one of which was quite ill and they were waiting for a prescription to be filled. We chatted a bit and "Ellen", as I'll call her, talked about this day being her last day "out of captivity". Later, as I was driving home, I noticed the roiling skies and I thought about how the oncoming storms were not unlike the approaching school year for this young woman and all of the other teachers who have already or soon will return to their classrooms. For many, these last days will feel like an approaching freight train, one that you know is coming but you are still not quite prepared for. The lucky ones will be bored and ready to tackle the year and still others will find themselves somewhere in the middle. This is a cycle that is as predictable as the changing seasons.
Segue to the present.
Now that the for-real storm has arrived and I can hear the thunder and see the lightning, it is time for me to recognize the importance of shutting down my faithful laptop and unplugging her.
My freight train has arrived.
Ancora imparo
