JOURNAL: June 15, 2006

Yesterday, the first day without classes or meetings, felt like the true beginning of summer vacation for me. I felt like I was on a long, comforting holiday all day long. Everything was calm and slow-moving, as it should be when duties have been left behind. Whether I was shopping for summer clothes at the mall, cleaning up my classroom, or simply taking a drink of water from the fountain in the hall, everything happened in a restful manner. Everything seemed to whisper, “You have ten full weeks of freedom ahead!” You might think straightening up my classroom is not a particularly vacation-like activity, but it all depends on the attitude you bring to it. I sorted out books with as much appreciation as if I was snorkeling among exotic fish in the islands. I sponged off the shelves the way a person might clean his surfboard in preparation for the summer. Later in the day, I took a pleasant (though invigorating) walk in Wilcox Park, and that’s when it really seemed like I was on summer break. I walked briskly but in a perfectly contented manner. I wasn’t hurrying to finish a task. I was simply letting my feet carry me forward along the paths among a profusion of summery blossoms. Strolling along in such a peaceful and unruffled way, it was easy to see that, for me, vacation time was here.