Normally parents get excited about the start of a school year: we take pictures, we look forward for the routine and some quality time to work and have the Wi-fi for ourselves (specially if we happen to work from home).

This time however the feelings were bittersweet. My daughter started her Senior HS Year. It is the beginning of the end of this phase. I could tell she was conflicted as well: that morning as she put her little-bit-of make up on, and carefully chose her outfit: “It’s the first impression mom”- she said to me when I suggested something comfortable and cool for these very hot days.

I felt a weight in my chest that day, the whole day, and later discovered all the moms if her friend group felt the same, some even shed some tears as they saw them drive off to school that morning on August 14th. (We have a group chat where we share the goings-on)

It has been a week of looking back, of remembering other “first days”, from Montessori Pre-school to her Covid-Freshman year, where the first day meant getting Camera Ready.

Same goes for my son, who is a year older. It’s all flooding memories of their childhoods that passed by ever so fast.

My arguments and worries are now about curfews, safety while driving, choosing the best classes in preparation for college…and of course College Tuitions, like millions of other parents.

It makes me disappointed and somewhat mad to think that College education is something of a luxury in this country; either you are in the top 1% or will have to borrow money to send your kids to school. Unless of course your kid was able to obtain some kind of grant or scholarship.

Lately I have regretted not being more serious about my kids speaking perfect Spanish during their school years; Mexico would have been an excellent option for them to go to a top tier University for a fraction of the price, while learning more about my country, my culture and of course, practicing their Spanish at the same time.

But regrets are fruitless, so we will do what we can to support them.

It is still almost a year before the kids move out, but it feels so real now, and my mind is on a “countdown mode” where I want to enjoy them as much as I can without being overwhelming and invasive to their space and time- seems like a balance that is hard to accomplish at times.

Changing to more recent events, the news have been inundated by the accounts that took place in Lahaina, HI in the island of Maui. The worst wild fires in the history of the Island. As of today, more than 100 are confirmed dead and more than 1,000 missing, and the old historic town of Lahaina is pretty much gone, scorched to the ground.

On 2013, to celebrate our 10th Year Anniversary, we visited Lahaina for a week, so I clearly remember the town; its bars, restaurants and shops and the famous Banyan tree. It was a beautiful little town by the ocean; seems incredible to think it’s no longer standing.

Also on the news the turmoil in India, where people have been protesting against the discrimination against Muslims and the outrage for the Cast system that officially was gone, but really isn’t. Those arranged marriages than seem like a thing of the past, and are really not.

We -here in the US- lead lives that seem so extremely foreign and far from those practices , that when I listen to those stories on the radio, it feels like I am reading about a novel, and not the life of real people, today, in 2023.

These stories remind me of the book “A Fine Balance” which I read exactly a year ago; it opened my eyes to what is really going in India today, but to hear it on the news makes it so real, and sad. I feel so fortunate that my daughter and son will be free to chose who and how they want to live their adult lives, regardless of their skin color , religion ( or lack of it) or sex orientation. Even if we still have a long road ahead of us -as a country- to be truly fair and unbiased when it comes to gender, religion and race, we are still in a position were -generally speaking- we don’t need to worry about our kids going to jail for marrying the wrong person or practicing a religion that isn’t approved or accepted.

Also on the news and getting a lot of attention: Artificial Intelligence. It is so hard to understand the scope of this wave of technology; it does give me a reason to think hard about how exactly things will be in the work force in 10 years (or 5?) I wonder if people were freaking out like this when the Industrial Revolution took place and millions of people’s jobs were displaced by machines? They say change is good, so I am going for that; it just makes it hard (I guess) to choose a career path when things are changing fast across many industries. So I feel for the younger generations today. I probably won’t be seeing much of this A.I. revolution anyway. 🙂

What I am seeing and will continue to see and hear about every single day is global warming and climate change. Between menopause and these heatwaves in town, well, let’s just say, summers are not enjoyable much. But more concerning are the wild fires and heatwaves that actually keep claiming lives, and the droughts that fuel those fires even more. It has become one of those subjects that I don’t want to read anymore about, because it can be very depressing- specially when the word “irreversible” comes up.

So I won’t read much but, I do what I can to not contribute towards more warming and pollution. Small grains maybe, but it’s better than nothing. Today: reusable ziplocks and no more water bottles in this house!

Stay cool everyone.