The first two weeks of the new year have flown by and while most of us are still in holiday mode, the time has come for us to wake up from those dreams and realise that everything is now back to normal and it is time to face reality.
The first indication of this was the class of 2019 receiving their results. These results were, for some, the champagne ending to 12 years of hard work and studying, but for others not so much. Having that piece of paper in their hands also meant that they were closing the door on their childhood and are now facing the reality of taking that first step on their journey to adulthood; scary for some, exhilarating for others.
But, nothing screams back to reality more than the start of the new school year that forces children and parents to accept the holidays are over and that it is time to get back into the daily rut; whether we like it or not.
The new school year brings with it a lot of excitement and fuss for the new Grade 1s and Grade 8s who are taking their first tentative steps into new territory, where a whole new world of opportunities await to be explored. Yes, I also melt at the sight of a new Grade 1 learner dressed in an oversized school uniform while carrying a huge school bag, but I realised that we tend to overlook the other learners in the other grades, resulting in them feeling a bit left out and forgotten.
It is not as if I have never thought about it, but it hit me a bit harder this year when I realised that for my youngest, it is her last school year. The reality was almost too much for me to bear – our ‘little one’ is writing her last chapter as a child and preparing to become part of the adult world. And, even though she is very excited and sometimes very confident of her ability to ace this part of her journey, I am not sure that I am ready to accept this reality.
I want to use this opportunity to wish everyone taking their first step on a new journey, all the best for the year. I will leave you with something Helen Keller said: “A bend in the road is not the end of the road … Unless you fail to make the turn.”
Until next week …
