"Beware the Barrenness of a Busy Life"

- Socrates

These quotes by Socrates and Jonathan Swift are two of my favorites. For me, they’re good reminders to stay conscious of the brevity of life and the passing of our days.

When my daughter was turning seven (and I was turning 44), I wrote myself this reminder:

TGI…Today

After a blissful preschool and Kindergarten experience, my daughter started first grade this past year.  We were told by many that we'd be launching her into the real world and that her life of wonder and imaginative and creative learning was about to come to a screeching halt. 

Sure enough the realities of modern American education set in.  Each day I pressed my daughter to get her 1.5 hours of first grade homework done after her 6.5 highly structured school day.  With little resistance, she complied with the schedule and demands.  Though unsettled by what seemed extreme, I hoped her schooling, which at least some educators think is a good idea, was preparing her for a secure and happy life……in twenty years.  

Of course, I also wanted her to be happy in her six-year-old life, so I'd repeatedly say things like…
“Let’s get your homework out of the way!”
“Only three more days left until the weekend!”
“You're halfway through the school year! ”…..

In case I hadn't already convinced her that life is simply something we get over with,  I took her for a treat one "Hump Day."  For her, this was particularly odd, as we'd never celebrated Wednesdays before.  

Amidst the growing stress of our new life, an uncomfortable or rather terrifying vision began to form -  one in which I'm with my daughter at a restaurant, …not any restaurant - TGIF. I'm telling her with the intensity of Bobby Knight….