Afraid to Blink

For Saturday, September 24, 2011

With the new school year underway, I woke up this morning and realized I’d caught my first cold of the season. I’d hoped to survive the first month of school without catching any of my students’ germs but that wasn’t the case. I spent most of the day in bed, sneezing and sleeping. I was miserable. But the worst of it was how very aware I was of the hours wasted. I thought of the work I could have been doing around the house to make up for the hectic workweek and of the correcting I had hoped to get completed. I thought of Paul’s soccer game and I realized I’d have to skip Emma’s volleyball game too. Because I was sleeping, I even missed a phone call from Sydney.

I looked over at my almost 6 month old puppy and took in all 37 pounds of her, 30 pounds heavier than when we came home with her at 8 weeks of age back in June. I thought of the summer months we’d had together and what a blur that time seemed to be now. I thought back on the past year, a difficult one in many ways, and took an extra moment to look at my face for the wear and tear that surely must be there. With my summer tan fading, there will be little to distract others from seeing the new wrinkles I’m wearing these days.

For years I have heard my parents say that the older one gets, the faster time seems to fly. Today before Sydney sent me a note about the start of her sophomore year in college and after Emma excitedly returned from her first college fair, Paul showed me a text from a friend inviting him to a bonfire after their first sixth grade dance next Friday. “A dance? For 6th graders? Do you really want to go?” I asked him. “Yes Mom. I do”, he responded.

I hate to say it, but my parents were right. Now that I’m older, time is moving so quickly. Too quickly. It’s downright scary. I can’t afford any more time spent nursing a stupid cold. How can I nap? I’m afraid if I even blink, I’m going to miss so much.