Tuesday, September 1, 2009

September 1st

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September 1st 1983, 26 years ago on a bright and sunny Thursday, I was put in school.

This was a very much anticipated first day of school. My best friend, who is a year older, was about to be in second grade and she had prepared me for it by sitting me through countless “classes” in our makeshift classroom in the back of their yard.

When it came to tradition, my parents stuck to it by giving me a school cone. A big, neatly decorated cardboard cone filled with sweets and pens and erasers and crayons and toys…Mine was so big, if I remember it correctly it was nearly as big as I was, and heavy that I had to bite back tears during the photo shoot. As did the rest of the 19 kids that were to be my classmates.

We didn’t know each other and ran about like ants on an anthill. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for the photographer to get us to hold up our cones and stand still. Looking at picture now, you can tell that nobody did what they were told. Everybody is struggling to keep their heavy cones upright or looking for their parents. Well I know I did. I was scared shitless. All these strange kids – I made sure not to lose sight of my parents for even one second and it shows.

Of all of my class mates I look the most worried :)

1st day of school

26 years down the road, on a sunny and warm September 1st I sitting at home and I am happy and content with the way my life turned out. I ♥ life.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

What I great picture! The school cones are cute but they do look heavy! :)

Brian o vretanos said...

The cone tradition is nice. I bet you could get a lot of sweets in one of those.

I started school when I was 4, and I have no recollection of my first day. Or many of the subsequent ones...

Tara R. said...

That is an awesome photo! I like the cone idea too.

Melisa Wells said...

I LOVE the school cones!!! How cool!

Lindz said...

This is so neat. I'm a teacher... why don't I get a school cone? If I had the money, I'd give my students school cones.

Grace Matthews said...

School Cone? I never got a school cone. All I got was a homemade dress that looked just like my sisters and a new haircut from my aunt (who was not a hair dresser).