Trares
Now is the season of new beginnings.
Everything seems fresh. The possibilities are endless. The excitement of the unknown is all around.
Not sure if Anthony feels the same way.
We’ve reached the final gasp of summer vacation in the Trares household. School starts in a just a few days, as Anthony embarks on his third-grade year.
So we’ve been getting ready. We hit the stores to pick up all of the school supplies on his list: pencils, crayons, markers, notebooks, scissors and more. Anthony dutifully hunted down packages of pink erasers, three-hole punch folders and 10 black dry erase markers — we were all confused about that last one, but it was on the list. Into the cart it went.
Picking out new school supplies was always the favorite end-of-the-summer activity for both my wife and I when we were kids, lessening the blow of the start of school with a fresh haul of stuff. Just as the new year offered boundless opportunities, my new supplies were still in pristine condition.
The crayons weren’t broken in half with the wrappers torn off. The pencils weren’t broken with nonexistent erasers. My pencil case wasn’t half-filled with glue after I inevitably left the cap open and it leaked all over the place.
I’m not sure if Anthony is as mesmerized with new school supplies as we are. But he seemed enthusiastic at least.
More exciting was the chance to pick out the items that more reflected his personal style. He painstakingly picked through backpacks, searching for the right one to both impress his friends and safely get all of his stuff to school. The process was arduous; finally, Anthony settled on a Star Wars backpack.
To match it, he found a similar Star Wars water bottle depicting the ice planet of Hoth, with the Empire’s walkers traversing the snowy landscape. Not going to lie, I may borrow it in the future.
We spent last weekend picking out fresh new t-shirts and comfortable shorts, new socks and a killer pair of bright blue shoes — ideal for running, which Anthony tried out in the aisles of the shoe store.
So we’re all ready to go. Anthony has taken advantage of his last week of freedom, lounging on the couch in his pajamas, playing on his iPad, swimming in the neighborhood pool.
There’s some disappointment about the return to early-morning wake-up calls, math instruction and homework. But he’s also excited to see all of his friends, find out who his teacher will be and do all the things third grade will teach him.
And with all of new stuff, he knows he’ll look good doing it.
On to third grade.
Ryan Trares is a senior reporter and columnist for the Daily Journal. Send comments to [email protected].
