Back To School

It's back to school over here. When you're married to a teacher, the transition from summer vacation to school back in session can be a harsh one.After a few years of this, I'm noticing the pattern. The exhaustion on his part, the loneliness on mine. How comfortable we become with him being home and rested and not drowning in papers and activities. How disruptive it is the day it's gone - no easing into it. One day we slept in until 7:30 a.m. and he was home for lunch, and the next a 5:30 a.m. alarm and not seeing each other for 18hrs.It's not being without him that's so terrible, but that I also work alone - and so the days stretch out before me, taunting with all I could be doing or should be doing.But this year I'm learning. I'm accepting the loneliness, inviting it in. I'm learning the awkwardness of now only having a few key hours in the evening to spend together - what what do we do with them? And I'm making sure to focus on what I need - sleep, exercise, lovely writings on the internet (here and here), podcasts, calls with friends and a general letting go of doing it all on my own.He's made extra effort to communicate when he'll be home, what he can help with, checking in with me how I am feeling. These are all good things.My aim is to feel better than I did last year, but more so, to not knuckle down until Thanksgiving, but to really see what this season brings to my work, my marriage and my creativity.