The First Day Marathon

Today I put another First Day of School in the books. On my way home, I thought about how the First Day of School is much like running a marathon. Before the big marathon, I must stay focused and disciplined. I spend a lot of time preparing so that I meet the goals I set for myself. Such is the first day of school as well. I can't show up to either one unprepared. It would be a disaster. In the case of a marathon, I would cause an injury to myself. In the case of the first day of school, I would cause utter chaos. In either case, I would probably collapse mid-way through. So I spend many days and hours preparing for this one day, exhausting myself little by little before the important event has even arrived!

Before I know it, the day before the marathon or the first day of school sneaks around the corner. I won't get much sleep. I think about all the possible things that could go wrong. I'm stressed and nervous. I tell myself that I'm ready and that I've done all I can do. Once I'm in the midst of it, I will be fine. The anticipation is brutal.

The morning of, I wake up early because I don't want to have to rush. I need time to eat a good breakfast to fuel my day. I always lay out my clothes the day before because I don't want to think about a single thing other than the big event for which I've prepared. I always think I have plenty of time before things begin. Usually it IS a lot of time. But somehow those hours disappear in minutes and suddenly I'm rushing to the portable toilets or the copy room, depending on which event it is.

The school bell rings or the race gun fires and I'm off. I'm in it now and I just need to hope all my planning pays off. I don't have time to think about eating, drinking, or using the bathroom. There are too many other things going on. People are around to cheer me on and see how I'm doing, but for the most part I'm on my own. There are ups and downs throughout the day, but I'm using up all my resources and all my energy for several hours. I can't help but hit the wall at some point. I might need to take a walk break or tell the kids to take some quiet time. Even so, I have to keep pushing forward towards the finish line, or 3:30 pm.

When my day is done, I breathe out a heavy sigh of relief. I feel a sense of success, even though the day wasn't perfect. I made it through and I'm still in one piece (barely). Once the endorphin high wears off, all I can think about is rehydrating, eating a massive plate of food, and sleep. I'm exhausted and delirious.

In the case of a marathon I say to myself, "Laura, you did it! You ran a marathon! You get to relax and celebrate and take a break from running for awhile."

In the case of the First Day of School I say to myself, "Laura, you did it! You had a successful first day of school. And tomorrow you get to do it ALL OVER AGAIN."