Fall is here, hear the yell. Back to school, ring the bell.

Fall is here (tomorrow, officially) and I can tell because there is a chill in the air and I suddenly feel compelled to purchase #2 pencils.

There’s a school across the street from my apartment for little people who look to be in kindergarten, and now each morning as I (late, tired) run out the door to a day I know will keep me in front of a computer at a desk dealing with things of moderate to high importance, I think briefly as I see those faces about what it was like to be young, and naïve and blissfully unaware of just how crazy this life can be.

They are outside, usually running around or playing with friends as the parents section off into groups and talk about their latest purchase at Bergdorf’s. Some I pass on the way to the subway being dragged by their parents as they cry and scream that they don’t want to go (I know the feeling), as though sitting through a day of kindergarten is the worst thing in the world that could possibly happen to them.

I don’t remember much of kindergarten but I happen to recall just sitting around being read to. I think I wrote my name a lot, which was easy enough after the first few tries. I attempted drawing pictures in crayon of stick figures, (my talent hasn’t changed much over the years) and was praised as a great artist. In the morning my mother picked out my clothes, provided me with a lunch (it was always there, like magic!) and transported me to and from the institution leaving me with basically nothing to worry about aside from making friends (all it took was a cookie swap!)

After a long subway ride I got to the office in my last clean dress (dry cleaning is expensive!) I opened an inbox with over 100 emails, had an alert that my credit card payment was due (the horror), I had a meeting in an hour, and having been late and skipped breakfast, my stomach was beginning to make all sorts of noises.

So, at the start of what promises to be a long day, I feel confident that in time those children I passed this morning will look back and realize, like I do, like we all do, just how great they had it when they didn’t have to do anything at all.