Back To School

The dreaded advertisements and commercials on TV and radio reminding us that school was just a stones throw away from starting another year. Oh joy! School clothes for many years meant uniforms, beige, brown and brown plaid at St Francis Xavier and dark blue & white tiny checkered uniforms at Queen of Heaven.

All the life lessons, mistakes and achievements, learning about the world and out of this world, the excitement of learning to read and write, the challenges of my unique learning style along with our scholastic achievements, the magic of language, literature, history, geography, science, religion and math- oooh my nemesis-math. Back to school- back to formal education, a structured learning environment an atmosphere of curiosity and critical thinking but not too critical, curious, controversial, provocative nor inappropriate as conformity made for smoother school day's and easier crowd control while fostering a wholesome and respectful educational experience for all.

My mind wandered, paying attention was precarious and I often yearned to be anywhere else but in the class room, I yearned to be anybody else but me. I went on my own journey in the middle of the group trail and ventured off the beaten path. I noticed things in the pages and chapters of our books that everybody including the teacher seemed to over look but I learned enough and then some, to propel me into the next grade and keep up with you and your lighting-fast tutorials that kept me up to speed in a language I could understand clearly.

Sports came naturally on the other hand and was a great diversion from the confines of the classroom, an alternative way to be excellent if not with fractions and participles then with the dynamics, rules and regulations of sports, of particular interest to us and an exciting outlet to excel in. The allure of "the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat", the playing field seemed more level in organized competitive athletics. It was all there, the camaraderie, sportsmanship, the discipline, fun, physicality and satisfaction of winning after all the practice, training, effort, time and energy involved.

School was a mixed bag of memorable great days to days where I thought I died and gone to hell due to school work or adult and peer pressure to be normal and fit-in regarding grades, behavior, clothes, attitude and overall status quo. It was a hell of a time, a big part of our lives as twins who grew up together and shared the crazy, amazing school days. We learned a lot inside the classroom and outside about many subjects including people. We grew-up together and grew a part but always seemed to find our way back for commentary on the latest happenings in our lives, sports, music, current events, places or other mutual points of interest.
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