Welcome Back to School....

Well, today was the day I have been dreading all summer: the first day of school. Oh no, I wasn't dreading this day because I was headed back to school. I have been done with school for nine years now (and by that I mean done with college, not high school...yes, I am old). I was dreading this day for an entirely different reason.

See, I work on a University campus and even though summers can be slow for me as far as my workload is concerned, they also offer me a wide array of joys. The biggest two joys for me? Empty trains and empty sidewalks. Campus is SO quite during the summer and I love to go outside on a break, take a walk, and enjoy the beauty and the serenity around me without feeling like I am going to get trampled by herds of adolescents. For three long months, I have been basking in the joy of having no students around.

So imagine my utter disappointment when I boarded the train this morning. It was still fairly empty by the time I got on and therefore, I managed to get a seat. But by the time we reached campus, there was not one square inch of available standing/sitting space. I felt like I was going to suffocate. Literally. When the train stopped at my station, I pushed my way through the throngs of people and darted off that train faster than you can say hello. Yep, that's pretty darn fast.

By the time everyone else managed to shove themselves out the train doors, I was way up the road, nearly racing to my destination. Out of sheer curiosity, I decided to look behind me just to see exactly how many people had gotten off the train, and what did my eyes behold? Every single one of those students was following me! It was almost as if I was their own personal Moses, leading them to the promised land. I walked faster and took some twisty detours. A few minutes later I looked back again and noticed the crowd was much thinner. Hopefully I didn't lead too many of them astray.

When I finally made it into my office I shouted, "I have never been happier to sit in a basement in all my life!"

Welcome back to school!