Monday

Mondays always started with school. In Those Days, we almost always walked to school. Not like my father said he did, 10 miles through knee deep snow, but sometimes a mile or so. Sometimes we rode our bikes, but we never had to lock them on the rack. Mom would always find me new shoes and a few clothes just before the school year started. It was the only time I ever got new clothes, aside from a few at Christmas. I brought my lunch, usually in a brown bag that I had to bring home to use another day. Some kids had real lunch boxes. I always wanted a lunch box; the real kind; the black, manly one, with the green thermos that had the chrome metal cup for a lid. Never got one though. My lunch always had a sandwich, a piece of fruit and a candy treat. The school sold milk for two cents, which Mom put in the lunch bag. The sandwich always got smashed. Often we traded lunches at school. Soon, I learned I could finish my homework while at school. That way, I seldom had to carry my books home, thereby eliminating any need for a backpack. Goober type nerds had glasses, braces on their teeth, and used backpacks.

Monday seemed to change as time passed. I left for work long before my children woke up. They were left with their mother got them up, made their breakfast, dressed them, and made sure their homework was done. We had two cars then, so most of the time, the kids got a ride to school with their mom on her way to work. My children attended many of the same schools their mother did. The schools had real cafeterias by then and Grandma-G worked there. I don't think my kids ever brought their lunch to school, which I think was the norm for kids then. And I don't think my kids ever rode their bikes to school. It was just not safe, and somebody would probably steal it anyway. Following school, the kids would walk to Grandma-G's house, which was conveniently located right across the street, and were picked up on their mother's way home. Most days, I would never see my children on Mondays until it was close to their bedtime.

For me, Mondays in Oregon, are much like they once were to me. Now days I watch as the children wait with their lunch boxes and backpacks for their bus to arrive. Many wear contacts and have braces. Some walk, some ride bikes, and some skate board, to school.

I no longer work, and I no longer have children in school, but I am at peace as I have plenty of time to Sit on the Dock of the Lake and reflect back to the days that were. The days which shaped me to what I am.