Where did September go?

My daughter has been counting down the days until today, October 1, because she is very excited to decorate for Halloween.  When she asked me a few weeks ago if I could get down the decorations, I told her I would do it today.  So she started a countdown.  And today her countdown shifted to the number of days before Halloween.

I, too, am looking forward to the end of October because it will bring the end of our crazy fall schedule.  We are overcommitted for the first 8 weeks of the school year, but the end of soccer season will bring some quiet normalcy to our routine.

However, I try not to look to that end too often because the end of October also means the end of my second month of sabbatical.  I know both November and December will fly with three professional conferences to prepare for, two family holidays to plan, and a Christmas pageant to direct.

And September is already over.

I'm not sure what I accomplished this past month - kicking off the year in the 8th grade classroom, finalizing the revisions on my first book, drafting chapter 1 of my next book, reading doctoral student work, and enjoying some much-needed "break time" don't feel like they are major accomplishments.  I look at the to-do list that is ever-growing for my sabbatical work, and I wonder how I can be more productive - and still return to my university teaching and administrative duties in January feeling rejuvenated. I wonder, where did September go?

For now, as I sit between classes in the 8th grade, I will only look forward to the end of this day, when I can find those Halloween decorations before my daughter's bus comes home.  And then we will decorate together.

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