It’s the last week of school in this part of the world. Every day boasts some event or another that requires parental presence and involvement. Yesterday, I stood in the afternoon sun for over two hours watching my youngest graduate from elementary school. She came home clutching a sheaf of certificates and chattering non stop.

Today, my family will be witness to our niece graduating high school. In a couple of days, my older two will be done with tenth grade and entering what I call a crucial year for them. My youngest will walk the halls of the elementary school for the last time and we will bid farewell to the place that has been like home for over ten years now.

All around me are signs of flux. We ease into a slower pace of life for the next three months. No alarms. No checking half eaten lunch boxes or complaining about the amount of crushed papers in their school bags. This weekend we will purge artifacts from the school year and lay to rest school bags, lunch bags and water bottles. I am looking forward to this oasis of peace before the madness of the next two years hits me.

We have no travel planned. No holidays to look forward to. I feel like I am sitting on the cusp of important things to do and places to go but I have no idea what that will be. I have a stack of books on my to be read pile. I have a list of shows that call my name. Yet, I am in limbo not heeding either call. I am reclaiming all the sleep I have lost over the past couple of years. For now, my immediate future looks slow, music filled and, relaxing.

Wait, did I jinx myself?