In our world of images here at Vital Imagery Ltd. we’re always looking ahead. We trumpet the arrival of vacations and seasons. We proclaim in our blog posts when things are about to happen, often weeks before they do, for the simple fact that the people who will be looking for clipart to use in promotions, products or projects can’t wait until the event arrives.
So, today I ponder a reality that looms several weeks before us that just happens to be a little tough to fathom.
Looking out the window on a hazy, rainy summer day, my mind full of plans for a weekend in lake country, it seems incredibly difficult to turn my thoughts to the fact that it won’t be long before children and teens head back to school. It barely seems like any time has passed since the schoolyards were filled with the lively sounds of exuberant youngsters let loose for recess. It won’t be long though until the bells are no longer quiet, the halls no longer empty.
The foremost thought as I contemplate this, is life’s swift passage. I really don’t understand when summers became so short. I remember those of my youth as being long and lazy, almost endless. When the school bell rang for the last time each June it felt as if forever stretched before us until we would return.
And it’s not as if nothing happened during those two months. There were so many activities crammed into just eight weeks, yet the time seemed to move along like the tranquil flow of a forest stream. There were week long visits with country cousins and family vacations at the beach.
In the neighbourhood, my friends and I filled our days with fun. There was pick-up baseball. We crowded the playground, swinging until our feet touched the lowest branches on the tallest trees, riding the playground until our heads spun and our stomachs lurched. We spent hot afternoons chilling at the pool and warm evenings working up a sweat in games of chase and hide and seek. We hiked, we ran, we played through all of the glorious summer weeks of our golden youth.
And by the time Labour Day arrived, we were actually eager for the return to formal education. There was always the back-to-school shopping first, meaning new duds and supplies. The latest fashions in everything from clothes to pencil cases were sought and bought. The first morning back we eagerly donned our spiffiest outfit, grabbed pencils, papers, etc. and headed out the door ready to return to the classroom.
We were keen to find out what the classmates we hadn’t seen had been up to during those long lazy weeks. We were excited to get into our classrooms and see if we’d be sitting near any of our friends. Regardless of how much we enjoyed the break, that first day back to school was always exciting.
While students, young and older, might not be quite ready for that heady back-to-school vibe, businesses and educators will soon be thinking of nothing else. Here then are two clipart collections to get them in the mood.
