The last day of school

I pulled up to a stop sign in my neighborhood a few weeks ago and noticed a teenager walking on the sidewalk. The boy looked sad. He had his head down and looked like he wanted to be somewhere else. I only happened to notice the boy because the local high school was letting out and saw a line of kids, in small little groups like a line of ants, leaving the school and making their way through the neighborhood.

The boy wasn’t the only one. Other kids seemed distracted too. It could have been the hot sun bearing down, the time of day, the thought of final exams, or a million other reasons.

On Wednesday, I thought back to that boy. I happened to be in my car about the same time of day, but this time I didn’t see one sad face. The melancholy faces were replaced by smile after smile. It was the last day of school and the start of summer vacation.

Do you remember the last day of school feeling? Especially as an elementary kid? Three months of freedom. There are some feelings that are palpable, a feeling so strong it feels like it can be physically touched, the last day of school feeling is certainly one of them.

As a kid, I loved everything about the final week. Cleaning out our desk or lockers. Running home carrying a load of papers and projects that our teachers had given back. Teachers wanting to be done just as badly as we did. Mapping out all the things I wanted to do in the summer. Getting excited about sleeping-in (even though my mother had other things planned for my time.) Handing in the books we had been lugging around all year and being glad that I would never have to see them again.

The thing I remember and miss the most: the glee and the feeling of lightness when you walked out of the school building. I’m free, I’m free, I’m really free!

We adults need a summer vacation too! Who’s with me? A return to the lightness of being a kid.