The Gilded Margin

By Shyanne Gines

Well… we made it.

The kids went back to school today.

Which means the backpacks are packed, the school supplies have hopefully made it into the classroom, everyone survived the first-day rush, and I can officially say that summer break is over.

I have mixed feelings about it.

There’s always something a little exciting about the first day. New classes, new teachers, new routines, new things to look forward to. But there’s also that little moment where you realize, Oh. They really are getting bigger.

And then there are the animals.

They are not having any of it.

They have spent the summer getting very used to having everyone home. More people. More noise. More snacks mysteriously appearing. More doors opening and closing. More opportunities to follow someone from one room to another for absolutely no reason.

Then today happened.

Everybody got up early. There was the usual morning chaos. Finding things. Looking for shoes. Getting dressed. Taking pictures. Making sure nobody forgot anything important.

And then everyone left.

The animals were left sitting there like, Wait. Where did everybody go?

I honestly think they take the first day of school personally.

They don’t understand that this is a normal part of life. They don’t know what school is. They don’t know that everyone is coming back later. They just know that their people were here and suddenly they weren’t.

And, to be fair, I’m pretty sure some of them enjoyed the peace and quiet.

The first day of school always makes me stop for a second, though.

We spend so much time getting everyone ready for the next thing that sometimes we don’t realize we’re standing in another little milestone until it’s already happening.

One day you’re buying tiny backpacks and helping with shoes.

Then suddenly you’re taking first-day pictures and watching them walk into another school year.

It goes way too fast.

So today I’m trying to enjoy the little things. The pictures. The chaos. The sleepy faces. The excitement. Even the inevitable forgotten water bottle or missing folder that will probably happen at some point.

And when everyone gets home, I’m sure the animals will be waiting.

Or at least waiting for the snacks.

Because apparently, even though they were not invited to school, they still consider themselves an essential part of the family.

Welcome back to school, everybody.

And to the pets who were left behind:

I’m sure they’ll forgive us eventually.

-The Gilded Margin