Days Like This, SOL #1

When it’s not always raining there’ll be days like this
When there’s no one complaining there’ll be days like this
When everything falls into place like the flick of a switch
Well my mama told me there’ll be days like this

Yesterday was not one of those days. Thick fog made the drive to school a little harder and a lot slower than usual. Emergency vehicles charged onto campus just as children spilled out of cars and skipped into the building, turned our usually cheerful arrival routine into a tense and distracted moment for many. I held my phone and read updates to the admin team in one hand while opening car doors, greeting students, and smiling and waving to parents with the other. I was not fully present during one of my favorite daily routines. And then, just as the sky began to clear and the rhythm of the day seemed to even out, we received a school-wide emergency alert. Out of an abundance of caution, we brought children inside, off playgrounds and fields, made sure all exterior doors were closed and locked, and sheltered in place. Adults acted quickly, holding their own worry behind their reassuring smiles, wondering what was happening. For the next two hours we carried on. Classes continued, children learned, teachers projected calm. Nobody could enter or leave the building, but the day hummed along as normally as possible inside our school. It was good for kids. It was hard for adults. And then, we got the all clear. Within minutes children were back outdoors, in the warm sunshine, picking up their games just where they’d left them hours earlier. Yesterday was not one of those days when everything fell into place. Or maybe it was.

Thank you, Two Writing Teachers for hosting the annual Slice of Life Challenge. My life would be smaller without writing. I am proud to be participating in my 10th annual SOL writing challenge with you.