No Place Like Home
We all go through milestones to achieve our goals in our adult life. Some of us take longer than others to achieve them, but that doesn’t mean we are less intelligent then the person next to us. Learning at your own pace is key to becoming a productive person in society. This is story about my first day in first grade. It was a blustery Monday morning. I was awakened by my mother giving me a kiss on my forehead. The air in the room smelled stale from sleep which emphasized the smell of coffee on her breathe-it was so fresh I could almost taste it. “Time to wake up for your first day of school.”, she said. My vision started to come into focus as I slowly began to open my eyes. Magically my clothes, which were flung all over the floor the night before, were perfectly folded on the dresser. The shades on my bedroom window were drawn to the very top, aiming the early morning sun straight into my direction, blinding me. I could hear the wind outside, cool and crisp, causing me to burrow further into my blankets-interrupting my own personal cocoon of warmth and safety. “You’re going to be late for your first day of school if you don’t get moving!”. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and planted my feet on the soft, vanilla colored carpet. Instantly, I felt the nervousness fluttering through my veins. Today is going to be my first day in First grade. I was in the bathroom combing my bed head, brushing my teeth, and drying off from my morning shower. While getting ready, the aroma coming from the kitchen was mouth watering. With that first whiff, I instantly knew what riches would be presented to me at the breakfast table. I knew that today was going to be an important day in my life, but I didn’t know It was going to commence with mother’s light and fluffy homemade waffles and perfectly seasoned scrambled eggs. I eagerly ran into the kitchen to scarf down my favorite breakfast. Quickly, I ran back into my room and got dressed, putting on my favorite blue sweatshirt and khaki pants. “Do I have to go?” I begged. “You are going to make new friends and learn!” she assured me. Her words comforted me as I headed down the stairs. I was greeted by my little golden Shih-Tzu Charlie. I knelt down to pet him and noticed that his fur was soft because of the bath we gave him the day before. I believe he sensed something was different because of the worried look in his eyes. “I’ll be back soon, buddy.” I told Charlie. I pat him on the crown of his head. I began to load my school supplies on the passenger side of the car and I could feel the presence of something watching me. I turned to see Charlie gazing back at me from the window observing us getting ready to depart. “I’ll be back soon, buddy…” I thought, and I was off.
The trees, the convenience store, and even the street lights, which always seemed to shine red rather than green were all familiar sights. So why did I feel different? I was so far into my thoughts that nothing could pull me out of them. The music on the radio sounded like the teacher from Charlie Brown, providing the background noise to my progressively deepening thoughts. I turned to look at my mother for reassurance while the nervousness worsened as my destination loomed in the distance. The calming smile she gave me put me at ease. There it was, the infamous white sign that read Highland Elementary School. As we pulled into the drive way, there were cars backed up all the way into the street and the impatient honking blared out from parents trying to drop off their children so they could arrive to work on time. My mother leaned over and hugged me as if it was the last time she was ever going to see me again. I opened the car door, took a deep breath, and jumped out of the vehicle, my backpack plopping behind me. I darted off towards the direction of the playground, forgetting my mother was even there. Every table, every hallway, and every corner were full of kids my age resembling a colony of ants. Suddenly, sounded a loud resonating ring, shocked the attention of everyone. I found myself in a single file line, not understanding exactly what was going on. As I marched into the ominous building with my fellow comrades I thought to myself: today is the first day of grade school.