Anniversary Blog Fest: Maria-Claire Payne

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Back To School: or, What Will I Do With All of This Extra Time On My Hands…?
By
Maria-Claire Payne

First: happy fifth anniversary to Long and Short Reviews! In addition to this milestone event, I’m celebrating a milestone myself as this sultry summer here in Southern Florida transitions into… Oh, who am I fooling, right? Our summers here pretty much keep on going – and going… You get the idea. There was, however, an event that, in the past, has heralded the first days of the season I previously called “fall” before I left the Adirondacks in upstate New York for the swamps of Florida: my mornings included chauffeuring my kids to school — and everywhere else.

Not this year!

This year, my son starts his freshman year in college and my daughter now possesses her – gasp! – driver’s license. My chauffeuring days are over! I’ve been lost in wondrous daydreams for weeks, considering all of the extra time I’ll enjoy. To write! To knock down that TBR pile collecting in my reader! To drink a mug of coffee while it’s still steaming hot!

Yes, that was the fantasy as I flung myself – with great enthusiasm, mind you — into this year’s unique back-to-school mode with my college-bound freshman and my high school junior. Reality bites, I’m learning. Now I waste all of that time I hitherto spent, cold coffee in hand, driving their asses around worrying. I look at my daughter trip over a pile of books and bounce off a wall, giggling while she picks herself up from the floor. Yeah, I’m thrilled she gets behind a couple of tons of heavy metal every morning. I write erotica. What exactly will my son be up to several hundred miles away on his college campus?

“Back” to school? Not this year. This year, life is fast-forwarding. I’m excited to be on this roller-coaster, watching my offspring as they become young adults – and leaning over just every now and then to catch my breath while I try to keep my sense of equilibrium.

Hmmm…as I write this, I can hear my son tell his sister about the “hot babe” he meant during orientation a couple of weeks ago. She’s chatting about driving herself over to some boy’s house that she’s crushing on since she has a car now. While I stare into the dregs of cold coffee at the bottom of my cup, I reflect: maybe it’s time I consider writing “sweet” romances… Not that I’ll have much extra time, what with all this “back to school” excitement this year.

Yep. It’s fall!

Happy “back to school,” whatever that brings you this year!

Maria-Claire

About the Author:

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http://www.maria-clairepayne.com
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Comments

  1. Hey, we used to live in Southern Florida and then in Northern Georgia…I still miss that area!

    I can’t imagine that age with our daughter although we are close … she started her freshman year of highschool!

    books4me67 at ymail dot com

  2. Ienjoyed reading your post, it made me laugh.
    Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com

  3. I can feel your growing pains. It sure is bittersweet when they grow up. Mine are out of the house and I do say, it has been lovely.

    tsteinerid(gmail)

  4. They have all left home but I see them every week.
    cvsimpkins@msn.com

  5. My kids are all grown, so no ‘back to school’ craziness for me. Great post!

    nancyg5997 at gmail dot com

  6. My youngest is a junior in college. We are doing the back to college thing next weekend.
    debby236 at gmail dot com

  7. I moved to NC from MI and now, as a retiree, I’m happily living in one season (ok, maybe 2) since summers here are very long and winters are very short and very mild (for the most part). My children are now approaching their middle ages…my baby girl will be 45! Gosh, she’s getting old! Like any other time of the year, I just kick back and read, watch my favorite TV shows and Netflix films!

    kareninnc at gmail dot com

  8. I have no kids.So its not back to school for me.But not looking forward to fall.Fall leads to winter.I’d rather it stay summer longer.
    elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net

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