“YAAAAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!” in chorus form is the first thing I hear after the shrill sound of the school bell ringing today. Just seconds later, the pandemonium expands tenfold as a swarm of kids run out of the school, exiting from multiple doors,all at once exploding into freedom.
“Spring Break is here!” they all chant and yell. “It’s a madhouse,” says one girl self-referentially, “as soon as the bell rang, all of 5th grade screamed out loud.”
My own elementary age son jumps into our car with an excited step and tossing his backpack across the seat says, “I’m So HAPPY! There is nothing better than Spring Break!”
Seeing the smiling faces all around me makes me realize that as adults, we seldom break out into such a brouhaha when we have holidays. We seldom thank the skies, take deep open breaths of the air around us, or even “be” in complete joy when a random day off finds us. Mainly we use such a day to catch up on chores and get work done in a quiet silence of our ever so efficient selves.
If nothing else, let’s all learn this lesson from our kids today and be sure and scream out loud the next time we have a day off. Next time, let’s take advantage of that time to breathe, to be delighted, to be inspired, and to bathe in the glory of the world around us.