A Summer for “Goodbye…Hello…”

When I was a teacher (eons ago), one of my favourite writing assignments to give students came with the change of seasons. The idea was to write a “Goodbye…Hello…” piece based on things they were leaving behind and things they were looking ahead to. Something like, depending on the season:

Goodbye hockey. Hello baseball.

Goodbye sandals. Hello boots.

The kids came up with great “Goodbye… Hello…” lists that often read like poetry, and I think it helped them embrace what was coming, even if what was coming wasn’t their favourite season.

What would happen if this summer, when many of us will not be having the kind of summer we normally enjoy, we were to try writing a “Goodbye… Hello…” piece, to help us let go of the “perfect summer” we might have imagined for ourselves a year ago?

Mine might go something like:

Goodbye swimming in the lake. Hello rediscovering the fun of running through the sprinkler.

Goodbye card games with cousins. Hello friendly chats with neighbours.

Goodbye reading on the dock, while my dog drinks out of the lake. Hello reading in the garden, while my dog drinks out of the bird bath.

Maybe, like my former students, some of us would come up with something resembling poetry. And maybe some of us would feel just a little readier to let go of our dreams of a normal summer and embrace whatever this summer has to offer. Worth a try? Feel free to post your “Goodbye… Hello…” in the Comments!

I’ll be back to blogging in the fall. In the meantime, keep well.

Have a great summer. Hope it includes lots of good books.