Branna Sings Back to School Blues
How can this be? It seems like just yesterday that school let out for the summer. Oh the agony…my winter blues are waiting in the wings.
I remember the days when summer break meant three full months of frolicking fun in the sun. The end of July meant bracing for the upcoming “Dog Days of Summer” – August – the hottest month of the year. Families flocked to the beaches for that final fling of summer fun. Our passion for pools, parks, and picnics was in full swing. We channeled our “inner child” through boating, baseball, and basking in brilliant sunbeams from daybreak til dawn. We set our sights on the forthcoming festivities of the Indiana State Fair. THIS was our back-to-school beckoning and the reckoning of our ceasing solstice in my day.
While we’re moseying down Memory Lane, my mind meanders to my own early educational exploits. If you’re a Noblesville native, you likely entered your elementary experience at one of the “Wards” – either First, Second or Third, that is. There wasn’t Pre-K back in the day, so my kindergarten capers were founded at First Ward. Situated near what’s now known as North Elementary, First Ward lived its legacy from 1888 to the summer of 1967. First grade found me for one fleeting year at Forest Hill Elementary, home to towering, tall trees and fantastic flying squirrels. Then next stop, North Elementary, where I settled in from second to sixth grade. It was at this impressionable institution that I came to know my very first “bestie,” Bret. To this day, we still love sharing the shenanigans of two unseasoned scholars who loved pillaging the playground and bucketing its bountiful buckeyes, mimicking The Monkees, donning dog tag necklaces and boasting our bubble gum rings.
Then on to an enjoyable jaunt through junior high, where P.E. class insisted we suit up in the most egregious garb, acne was our ultimate enemy and the opposite sex came into consideration. We had the temperament of a toddler and the angst of an aspiring adolescent. Our peers were preferred and parents became more caustic than comforting. Some of the best advice I ever got as a parent of a “tween” was: “When your children are teenagers, it’s important to have a dog so that someone in your house is happy to see you.”
Heading to high school, the search was on for our identity, independence and individuality. Our educational excursion encompassed dating, dances and driver’s ed. Long hair and short hemlines hallowed the halls of high school and Homecoming was the hallmark NHS happenings. Led Zeppelin and Lynyrd Skynyrd owned the airwaves and convoying to concerts was king. Our first job, first love and first car were our prime focus and the fruits of our future’s most memorable moments.
After capturing the crown of the cap and gown, then came college or other career of choice. We couldn’t wait to grow up, and then it finally happened.
These banner back-to-school days bring back a barrage of musings, moments and memories we all can certainly share. As the curtain comes down on our delightful days of lower stress and higher temperatures, we trade our swimsuits for sweaters and forge forward toward fall.
Yes, we still can embrace the ambience of August amid the blaring of the school bells. I’m holding my ground and reaping the rewards of our remaining sweet summertime. I plan to devour these days like the oncoming sweet corn crop, and I’m not sparing the butter!
Branna (McCarty) Shores believes that “HOME is where your story begins.” A Noblesville native and proud graduate of NHS and Purdue University, she is a professional speaker, advocate for mental health and work / family balance and retired social worker. Branna is the mother of two grown daughters, six precious grandchildren and wife of one brave husband! Her passions include singing, writing and sharing the lighter side of life through lessons learned, both personally and professionally. She can be contacted at branna18@gmail.com