Countdown…
Our headlines are written in chalk, scribbled across a mini-blackboard in the kitchen. Birthdays, holidays, special events and noteworthy accomplishments generally make it on to the slate (with an appropriate number of exclamation marks!!!) along with the occasional work of chalk art.
When I set the little easel on our kitchen island a few years ago, it was with no expectations for its use. The kids defined its purpose by what they elected to scrawl across its surface, making it a virtual barometer of our focus of the moment.
Birthday countdowns always make it onto the chalkboard. Days until vacation? Absolutely. Proclamations of football wins and soccer tournament victories? Definitely. But the board has never displayed a “don’t forget” or “Buy milk;” reminders and “to do” lists remain relegated to the sticky notes and index cards they’ve always been written on.
Our little chalkboard is not meant for the mundane.
For the past month or so, it’s held a running tally of remaining school days. We’re in single digits now, enthusiasm growing with each erasure. I share the kids’ thrill as summer begins its 
lazy stretch into June and beyond, even as I’m calculating how to juggle the necessities of my work and the needs of my children.
I’ve a hunch we’re going to grow a little, get a little more organized and get surprised by September far too soon.
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