Me and Don Henley will tell it to you straight.

I love summertime. There isn't a season I wouldn't trade for a few more months of sun, and there's always that twinge of sadness that comes as I feel August slipping away. 

But I have to admit there's a feeling of anticipation that comes with the cool mornings this time of year. It's the same feeling that makes me want to buy new crayons and label things. Its school starting. Its newly sharpened pencils and backpacks and the silly desire to give your teacher an apple. And as someone who has been a part of this fall phenomenon all my life up to this point, this year is starting to feel strange.

I suppose its because I could never picture myself at this point in life. In fact when I met my husband and we talked about our career choices, I told him I wanted to go to medical school. It seemed like a perfectly suitable calling for me because I liked school. And I was good at it. But then when he asked me what kind of doctor I planned to be when I grew up -and I said that I in fact didn't want a full time career when I grew up- I realized the real reason medical school sounded so good to me. It was because I was used to school. I just couldn't picture my life without it. I couldn't picture myself as a professional doctor as much as I could a professional student. Unfortunately that isn't the most profitable of career paths, and luckily I married someone who loves me enough to help me find out what it really is I want in life.

And I’m lucky enough to say I think I found it. And while it will inevitably be harder than school, it will be even more rewarding. And though I won't be getting a report card regularly to tell me how great I'm doing, or a paycheck to tell me how much I’m worth, those don’t add up to real happiness anyway.

I’m not starting a new school year but I am feeling all the excitement of a fresh start. And, ironically, as summer dwindles and dies this year all I can think about is new life. And you know what? I’m still waiting on that end of summer sadness.

Plus who says you can only buy new clothes for school??

[Here’s to new adventures.]

-MD