“Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day”
Friday, we held the spring version of the all-school road race. Since we started holding all school road races over a decade ago, the challenge remained the same. Any student that beats me gets an ice cream at The Beech Hill Ice Cream Barn. While I knew that it would be a tough race because of the heat and humidity, I felt good that I had been doing Peloton and lifting some weights as of late. I thought I might just run a decent race.
“And then one day you find ten years have got behind you”
I did not run a decent race. More students beat me than did not. I ran slowly, walking on occasion – it was pathetic. What had happened? I used to run marathons! After the race, I heard one student with older siblings tell her friends, “It used to be really hard to beat Mr. J – when my brother was here, hardly anyone beat him.” What was unsaid was – now it is not so hard to beat him!
“The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older”
Time is funny that way. A decade has passed, and I am nearing 50. The last ten years have taught me a great deal, and I am better at being Head of School now than I was a decade ago. That experience has made me better, sharper. However, time ticks on, and some things are just harder to do as we age. While I may get in a little better shape before the next all-school road race, it seems that the challenge of beating Mr. Johnson will never be what it was.
“You are young and life is long, and there is time to kill today”
Fortunately, time is not so cruel for our students. They have much to look forward to, and they are just starting to run the race that is their life. However, even our students are not immune to the challenges of time. Our 8th Graders are about to graduate in just two weeks. They will be off to new schools and new adventures. They are ready and I am confident that they will find great success, but it is hard to imagine that their time at BHS is ending.
I look forward to taking the students that beat me for ice cream this week. I wish that I made it more of a challenge for them, and perhaps next year, if I can get in a little better shape, it might be a little tougher. Or, perhaps they can just tell tales of a time when it was hard to beat Mr. J….
“The time is gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say”