Some of my closer friends who read my blog regularly have told me they enjoy my more personal and family related posts. Sometimes, I am reticent to share these, but today is an exception!
My 18-year-old will graduate from high school on Saturday. He plays varsity tennis and has for the last four years. This year has been an unexpected year of crazy schedules and rescheduled matches due to the wet weather we’ve had in the upper mid-west. There was one week, a short while ago, during which he had five tennis matches rescheduled or regularly scheduled within seven days. It was too much. Today, was to be the sub-sectionals. He was up at 4:30 a.m. to be at the courts to catch a district van to the matches at a school 2 hours away. By 7 a.m. he called me. When I picked up the phone, I thought he was calling to tell me the team had arrived at its destination. But, no. He was calling to tell me it had been cancelled and he was back at our high school. He sounded slightly shaky and tired. Final exams for the seniors are today and tomorrow. He had the forethought to speak with his teachers about missing today for the tennis sub-sectionals. He was to take any finals scheduled for today, tomorrow, when he was back in school. I do not think he knew what they were going to have him do. Probably, the expectation would be to have him take the finals. I understand. After all, he was in school. Better planning ahead was needed in this case, so that he would have felt more prepared to take those exams in the case something like this happened. I hope he could relax enough to think. I heard anxiety in his voice. I know what it sounds like and although he told me it would be okay, I think he was questioning that, himself. The end is near. He is not in any danger of not graduating – far from it – but I know for a fact this spring sports season put a damper on how he envisioned the end of his time in high school. The cancellation today just tops off what a lackluster season it has been.
A few short hours later I could relate to him even more than I already do when it comes to feeling anxious. I was scheduled to plant in a school garden today with 170 students. Upon waking up, it was overcast. By 8 a.m. I was in the driveway cutting apart six celled plant trays to aid individual layout for the students. By 9 a.m. I had packed the car and left the house under very overcast skies. Twenty minutes later, when I arrived at school, it was raining! Planting was not going to take place today! It was wet and would continue to be wet in the gardens even if the rain stopped. I went to each teacher’s room to reschedule – a task that sounds easy but given all the other obligations I have this week and the crazy month of May that teacher’s experience, it was a daunting task to think about.
Luckily, I have used SignUp.com in the past and by the time I am writing this, seven of nine classes are rescheduled for times over the next three days. It is still raining. But, it sure was a Messy Monday Morning for Matt and Mom!
The Apples in My Orchard 