Spring Break souvenirs

I saw a student this morning with arms so sunburned that if she stood outside on a dark night people might mistake her for the Blood Moon. She brought back a memorable souvenir of Spring Break, but I don't want to be around when the sunburn starts to peel.

A student in my American Lit class brought back an impressive record--ten straight wins in softball! What a way to start the season. I watched the baseball home opener last week before I left for my Spring Break road trip and while our baseball team isn't winning ten straight anything, they played a gem of a game, pulling a victory out of nowhere. It was a gorgeous sunny day and I could have ended up with sunburn if I hadn't sat in the shade. 

What souvenirs did I bring home from Spring Break? Three boxes of Girl Scout cookies and some photos of my granddaughter competing in the regional spelling bee and my grandson in the Pinewood Derby. And photos of herons. Lots of herons.

Mostly my Spring Break souvenirs are intangible--feelings and memories and random wishes. I feel happy about how we've managed to maintain a satisfying relationship with our adult kids, and I cherish the memory of the youngest imp reading me the story she wrote and illustrated in which three friends pursue a quest for adventure and bring back treasure--but only after asking their parents' permission. I loved to see her trying to read a book and practice the piano at the same time, although I know that's not the textbook way to develop piano skills.

And I wish I'd done a little more work last week so I wouldn't be rushing around trying to print out documents and prepare for meetings this morning. I wish I had answers to questions people keep asking--not just the big questions about the future of the College but the niggling little ones like am I allowed to talk to a coach about a student's academic performance if the coach is also the student's parent? 

And I truly wish I did not have to stand up in front of the faculty meeting this afternoon and tell them that the magic wand they're asking for doesn't exist--the software that will reliably identify Artificial Intelligence with 100 percent accuracy so that we don't have to rely on our own instincts and reasoning skills.

More than anything, what I wish for after Spring Break is more Spring Break, but I would probably feel differently if I'd brought back the kind of sunburn I saw on students this morning. Some of us have clearly had enough leisure. Time to get back to work!