On the Way to the Last Day of Second Grade...

The drive in to Murphysboro in the morning is always when I start to wake up. It's a calming counterpart to the screeching of getting us up and dressed - and the vitamin D helps to energize me a bit. A little less than half an hour each morning when we can listen to the radio (usually CNN or NPR, but sometimes I cave and put on RadioDisney) and take the time to mentally wake up.

That being said, I am not always so aware of what's going on around us in the world at these times. I mean, I'm paying attention to the road and those surroundings, but life occurring outside of our little bubble? I don't normally drink enough coffee that early in the morning.

This morning, however, as we drove through De Soto, I was utterly horrified. Now I know I may not be the world's safest driver. I'm not saying I'm a danger behind the wheel, but I do occasionally go above the speed limit (shush, yes, I know... lead foot). When I drove past a man on a motorcycle with a boy about the same age as Alexandra gripping him from behind, I was shocked. It wasn't the motorcycle, nor was it the small child holding on for dear life. What horrified me was that neither the man NOR THE BOY wore a helmet. They zipped out into traffic after I'd passed them, pulling my heart out into my throat.


I'm sitting here now, drinking my chai, still trying to wake myself up - but that image, the boy gripping the man, no helmet on his head, worked well this morning of jerking me out of my sleepy haze. Other than making me slightly nauseous at the concept, it forced my brain to start processing my surroundings. I drove past a newly planted field and noticed that not only were the seedlings coming out in such uniform rows (that's something I've always noticed about farms and fields I've passed), but the tiny little plants in each row were a uniform distance from each other as well.
The wonders of technology - come to fruition in my observations of cultivated plant life.

This afternoon, when I pick Alexandra up from school, she will no longer be a second grader.
The world will have changed in some tangible way for me. I will be a third grade mom.
But the plants will still be the epitome of order and the irresponsibility of some people towards children will continue to be my wake up call.