Transitions and Getting Back on Track

Fall has always been a time of transition and fresh starts for me.

This year is no different. The change of seasons itself is a beautiful time of change – for me, the move from hot and humid to cool and comfortable is glorious. And I love the color changes, too. Although the fresh, bright greens of summer are beautiful in their own right, there is something special about the first pops of autumn color. And I’m looking forward to seeing more in the coming weeks.

And even though I am no longer teaching, the start of a new school year always feel like a New Year’s of sorts – a time to get back into a routine, start something new, get a fresh perspective. Clean book covers, new school shoes, empty notebooks and freshly-sharpened pencils get me every time, even if they aren’t mine.

Speaking of school, as I’ve mentioned for several weeks running, Zilla’s transition to second grade has been a very positive one. Despite her anxiety and lack of enthusiasm for returning to school, she has jumped into the school routine with a renewed spirit and genuine interest. She’s doing well, she’s happy, she’s positive – and we couldn’t ask for more. This Friday she came home with a “Friday exit pass” on which the teacher asked a few short questions about the week, etc. That paper showed a child confident in her self and in her work. It showed that she is happy and proud of her accomplishments. It shows definite progress.

All of that makes these two parents so happy and grateful that I could be done right there.

But I have more.

I am thankful for Legos. An 800-piece set with a 122-page instruction booklet kept our girl happy and occupied through a mostly rainy weekend. And she bought it with her own piggy bank savings so she was mighty proud of herself. I am also very thankful that Zilla keeps hers contained and off the floor. Because stepping on Legos hurts. A lot.

Soup of the Week has returned from summer hiatus! I really do love soup all the time and I do make it year-round. But this summer saw little to report in the soup department – we didn’t make it as much and when we did, it was either green soup or our favorite tomato. Both good, but not new and exciting. But come back this week for the first fall soup and you will see exciting!

This week the Hub gets a spot for snagging some green tomatoes when he picked up our CSA share at the farm this week. Zilla loves fried green tomatoes and we had them once this summer. She was so hoping for one more round and this week we lucked out, thanks to her Fab Dad. So we had Fried Green Tomato Eggs Benedict for brunch yesterday – because on a rainy Saturday you should have a big delicious brunch – and Zilla and I had the reheated leftover tomatoes for lunch today.

And you know what? The Hub needs a mention for putting up with me in general. I’m high maintenance. And, as Harry says in When Harry Met Sally, I’m the worst kind – I think I’m low-maintenance, but I’m really high maintenance. And yes, I order food in restaurants just like Sally does. Hey – at least I’m self-aware.

Zilla continues to amaze us – hourly, it seems – with her transition from little kid to big kid. She’s doing her own hair, being responsible for herself and her belongings (most days), and handling her busy days of school and after-school activities with grace and ease. Is it wrong to say I’m a bit surprised? Transitions do not come easy for her – for any of us, really – and we’re just so impressed and pleased.

I’m thankful for my slow cooker. As life gets busier around here, it becomes more and more clear to me that we need super-fast dinners or something that’s ready the minute we get home from Karate class. We needs meals that the self-proclaimed kitchen-challenged Hub can help with. Enter the slow cooker. I’ve always loved the slow cooker. But I’m on a mission to rediscover its practical talents to make life easier for us.

I am thankful for beautiful fall weather – all of it. I’ll take the chilly rainy days or the breezy sunny days. I’m just so happy it’s autumn for real! And for October – it’s just my favorite of all the months.

We are definitely moving into a new phase here. Wish us luck.

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This post was previously published on themeaningofme.com and is republished on Medium.

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