Autumn. Gap Year

I cannot decide the exact start date of my gap year. Did it start the day after school ended? No, I spent the entire summer “working” – insurance, finding (and getting) a new car, physical therapy. August 11 was the first day of school, but not for me; it felt more like the beginning of summer break than May had.

Last week was Oaktober Fest, my favorite weekend to live in Oak Park. It was also the first weekend that felt like fall. The sun hit at a different, brighter (more orange), angle. The weather was warm during the day, but cool in the evening, deceptive and made me regret the heavier-than-I-expected sweater I’d worn to meet friends.

26 September, last Saturday, was also the first day that I felt truly “free,” so free that when a friend called while I was in the middle of something else to ask “meet at Oaktoberfest?” I not only met her and her friends, but I stayed for five hours. I would never have done that while I was teaching; I would have always been watching my watch, looking for the time when it was appropriate to say goodbye so I could get home.

26 September was the official first day of my gap year.