That wonderful summer-fall transition

It came as a shock to me when I realized that thousands of kids got up extra early this morning, donned fresh new clothes, and posed for yet another first-day-of-school picture. My baby sister entered the gilded halls of high school this morning (and "gilded" isn't too much of an exaggeration; Salem Hills High is the nicest/hugest high school I've ever set foot in--much more classy than Payson High School), and college students (including my little brother! I'm getting so old) are bidding farewell to their lackluster summer jobs and/or exciting internships/study abroad opportunities, or are frantically trying to relax after an intense bout of summer school before starting all over again in the fall.

Despite saying goodbye to late nights and sunny, carefree days, it feels good to shed superfluous leisure and don productivity and hard work once more. Friends are reunited/introduced, stories are exchanged, and a whole new set of adventures begins.

It's an exciting time of year, is it not?

Of course, I didn't experience any of that this week. I didn't relish my Saturday night as my last night without the feeling of impending doom. I didn't sharpen my pencils, organize my folders and notebooks, review my schedule, or lay out a brand new outfit to wear the next day. I went to bed at a normal time last night without the typical start-of-school angst, woke up groggy this morning (my dreams were very vivid last night), and somehow managed to make it through yet another morning routine without climbing back into bed. It was a typical Monday, following a typical weekend.

But the end-of-summer buzz didn't completely pass me by; it got me as I was doing my usual pre-work reading (which tends to take a lot longer on Mondays). Despite its short tenure, I am not sad to see summer bow out; I love the summer-fall transition. This time of year just might even be better than Christmas, partly because the anticipation for the holidays starts at about this point.

Even for old people like myself, fall brings exciting changes, one of those being fall sports (football in particular). In the past I haven't been a huge football fan; I would watch the BYU-Utah game and the Superbowl, but that was about it. In high school I wanted to go to the football games not so I could watch the games, but so I could be a part of the social atmosphere. (And I'm sure I'm not the only one; Payson football hasn't been good since . . . it's never been good.)

Thanks to the NBA lockout and my steady 8-5 job, I've never been so excited for football to start. I still don't understand a lot of the rules, and I usually only cheer or groan because everyone else is doing it, but there's something about watching a football game as the air starts to get a little nippy and the leaves are changing colors that makes the whole experience fresh and exciting.

So, farewell summer and welcome back fall! (I say this while trying to ignore the fact that it's supposed to hit 100 degrees later this week . . .)