First day of school, the butterfly brigade

"When was the last time you had a first time?"

It's a clever marketing slogan that I have heard many times on the radio, as an advertisement for a skydiving ranch across the river. Like most slogans and jingles that are effective, this phrase has been rattling through my head for the past 24 hours. Wednesday was the first day of school in our district -- many school districts do not start until next week! -- and it was an exciting time in our house. We have one child in each school -- high school, middle school, elementary school -- this year.

Two out of the three took the bus to school. I drove my daughter Natalie to middle school. The school is pretty much across the street from our road; a 2-minute car drive is better than a 45-minute bus drive most mornings. As I took her on the very brief drive, her excitement and nervousness were palpable. I could almost feel the butterflies dancing in her belly, and I could remember that feeling -- not only for the first day of school, but the first day of ANYTHING. And I came to the interesting realization that, here in middle age, there really are not that many "first times" for anything. That "butterflies" feeling almost never comes anymore. Most, if not all, of what we do are repeated experiences. The sameness is comforting, but it also made me think about when and if that butterfly feeling will hit my gut again.

That thought lasted about 15 seconds, until it was time to give Natalie a big hug and send her off to her first day of sixth grade. She had a great day, as did the boys (James in second grade, Joey in ninth grade). Many challenges and experiences lie ahead for 2013-2014 -- more butterfly moments, to be sure. For now, it's another time to begin again.