Recess. the different definitions.

dictionary.com – a period of time when the proceedings of a parliament, committee, court of law, or other official body are temporarily suspended

wiktionary.org – to take or declare a break

Melissa Boyer – a 10-minute moment of the day to supervise kids releasing their energy to better learn throughout the rest of the day

LPA 1^st grader – a 10-minute moment of the day to chase and tackle Ms. Boyer.

***

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at Legacy Preparatory Academy see 3 recesses: morning, lunch, and afternoon. The bitter cold has effected the kids desire to be out in the cold for more than 5 minutes, let alone 10 whole blessed minutes of freedom. But when an adult is out there who has no other desire but to reach back into time, becoming a first-grader herself for 10 minutes, the ability to stay warm is made simple.

***

I walk outside – unsure if this recess will bring any kid near me. But as soon as I find a seat on the wooden bench, I am surrounded with kids taunting me to come and chase them – to run and heighten my body temperature, to make the cold more bearable. And so I believe that the next 10 minutes of my life will consist of a harmless game of tag – me being it. I no sooner get up and start chasing after one of the 77 first-graders, when I realize immediately that I, myself, am being chased by 30 first-graders. My speed quickens – keeping the cold at bay. I catch the one chased first-grader, and before the group topples on to me, I have time to swing that unexpected first-grader around and around in the air.

But no sooner than I have put the One down, the wind is blown out of me as I brace myself against the thirty who tackle into me, desperately trying not to fall down into the soft, muddy winter earth, at no avail.

What then occurs is something one has only seen on – cartoons, or the Mask of Zorro. Those 30 seven-year-olders tackle me to the ground and pile upon each other to make my escape impossible! But little do they realize that the only things that they are ALL on top of are my feet. I quickly slide out of that hilarious predicament – and laugh to see them all on top of each other! But the laugh is short-lived as I realize that they noticed that I am no longer under them – their captive has freed herself. So I grab my shoe that had been pulled off, and start sprinting away, temporarily forgetting that the ground is moist after the light rain and snow. My memory comes rushing back into focus as my socked foot lands in the soft mud and the feeling shoots up my spine. Due to that impediment, I am soon tackled again by 30 little people – sending All of me down into the spongy, moist earth. My clean pants are now again in need of a washing.

All of us are laughing and you hear multiple renditions of: ““Get off her.” “Ah, you got me.” “Get her.”” from all voices – but then we hear “10,9,8…” being chanted off in the distance – and I see FREEDOM! It’s time to line up to go back into the world of books, teachers, pencils, and ‘hugs&bubbles’.

***

Recess - a period of time when the proceedings of an organized school system are suspended to become a kid again.

It’s worth all of the mud and grass stains, and the like-allergic reaction I receive to the wood chips spread across the playground.

***

Life is good when you can be a kid.

the Wedding: the Cruel and Unusual Punishment

... that we voluntarily choose to put ourselves through. It's self-inflicted unconstitutionality!

Now you might be wondering where all of this came from. Let me explain - I just went to my cousin's wedding this afternoon.

But before we move on, a tangent must occur. He is too young to be getting married! I mean every single one of my acquaintances is too young to be married- but most of them are. I mean, really guys, aren't we still just little kids? Where did we get the grand ideas to actually legalize our house-playing? During the ceremony today, I realized that the last time that my cousin and I spent more than 5 minutes in actual conversation, was 3.5 years ago and we were both 19. When did he become 22 and I, 23?

... Well, I guess if we really are that old, he is old enough to tie the knot. Odd - how time flies. Anyways, tangent over, moving on.

So you must be wondering how I could even think that a wedding, that day the female race looks toward in giddy anticipation - planning down to the minute, years in advance - sometimes slowing down through the diamond displays they so easily set in our paths at department stores - and lazily wandering onto wedding dress websites - how could I possibly accuse that well-thought-out and-looked-towards-day to be CRUEL and UNUSUAL punishment?

Well let's just look at it on the side of the girl that looks at all her married friends and realizes that really, the road of her Life has actually reached the marriage square - but where is her groom?

So it simply is....

Cruel and unusual punishment - to thrust all that romance, the giddiness, the sparkle in the eyes, the speeches given by ecstatic loved ones, the tinkling of glasses which is followed by the mandatory couple-kiss, the well-chosen colors, the Dress, the men in excellent attire, the mood music, the flowers, the electrifying amazingly RIGHT-feeling atmosphere - to thrust all of THAT upon a vulnerable young girl of 23 who is ready for her own fairy tale - her own Prince with which to ride away into the sunset, to kiss deeply after the Man says - you may kiss the Bride. I mean, aren't I right?

This is the definition of cruel and unusual punishment.

But we, the female race, bring it upon ourselves by enthusiastic dreaming and star gazing. One day, we will be the married bystanders amidst the family and friends; some of who are enjoying themselves immensely and some that are punished by our giddiness and sparkle, unbeknownst to even themselves until they are way too deep into the oh-so-"perfect-fit"-feeling.

And that is why we choose to inflict this unconstitutional punishment (to witness a wedding) upon ourselves- because ONE DAY it will be us.

The Nose Hurts

So I have been suffering from the Common Cold - the one disease that has no cure for about a week. A week!! There is no cure but for some odd reason we think that there is and we buy loads of medicine to cover up the symptoms. In reality - the symptoms might be covered up but the runny, red nose will always come. It's super rude. And not treatable.

And I look like a female Rudolph.