01 September 2009

It was the first day of school.

I wore black corduroy overalls. Only one of my two overall straps was buckled. Do you remember when that was cool? Maybe it was never cool; I wasn't ever that cool. I feel okay about that now. I didn't then. I wanted to be cool because it was the first day of school. I'm a rhymer. My dad took my first-day-of-school-in-new-spiffy-clothes picture in front of the saguaro cactus of my Arizona house. I don't remember that my bangs were curled perfectly and I don't remember squinting to look at the sun, but I've seen the picture.

On the first day of school we traditionally ate alphabet cereal for breakfast. One year, after it'd been a couple years since we'd had alphabet cereal on the first day of school, I realized that it wasn't actually a tradition. I think we ate alphabet cereal on the first day of school once and after that year I wished so hard that it was a tradition that eventually my head believed it. Traditionally, we ate alphabet cereal before going to our first day of school.

First-day-of-school eve was better than Christmas Eve. I never slept the night before school. I repeat, I never slept. Not a wink. [Beware of the exaggeration in that statement. Sometimes I exaggerate to make a story better. Divide what I say by two if you'd like a more accurate version.] I was too occupied with the outfit lying on my floor like paper-doll clothes ready to be put on in the morning, not to mention thinking about my new teacher and where I would be assigned to sit. I didn't sleep at all.

Too much excitement. Too nervous. Too magical.

I didn't wear new school clothes yesterday and no one took my picture, even though someone offered. I did not eat alphabet cereal and I slept in complete comatose before getting off to my 8 o'clock class.It was the first day of school.

Where'd the magic go?

2 comments:

Lisa Shumway said...

Hey Laura! How are you?
My sister Erin and I have been scanning in old pictures and there are a bunch with you and I. I will have to get them to you somehow.

Julianne said...

Yes! I loved the first day of school, too. I could use a little bit of that excitement right now... I always love your stories AND exaggerations, Laura!