The glass is half-empty, and it's cracked, and really nobody wanted that yucky water anyway

The summer "last hurrah" week has been busy. Within the last 7 days, we have been to Day Out With Thomas, the movies, the beach, the splash pad, a Cubs game, and a new children's museum. And today this exhausted mom went out to lunch at an actual restaurant and then to the movies with my new friend Carolyn, who I met under very unusual circumstances.

Speaking of unusual circumstances, on the way home from the Cubs game I ended up crammed on the Red Line car next to one of my former students. One of my former students from California. She was on vacation with her family. The thing is, I remember everything about this girl, from her mom's last name (not the same as the girl's) to what they got me for Christmas (a book about organic gardening and a potato scrubber). And I had a lot of students. But the girl's mom didn't remember me at all. And I am pretty sure she hated me when I had the girl in my class.

It was truly a very weird coincidence. One of those "of all the L cars in all the world, she had to walk into mine" kinds of things. Or something. I couldn't believe how weird it was. But I couldn't just leave it at that. In typical Shannon fashion, I had to launch into some big pondering about my "old life." By which I mean, the life where I was an elementary school teacher and single. And a lot thinner, which sounds like it isn't that big of a deal, but it really is.

I was not too happy the year I had that girl in my class. I had a class full of geniuses, several of whom had weird behavioral problems. One kid peed on the handball wall. Another kid had to be pried out from under the table. Parents were on my case a lot. The principal was always mad at me for something like having papers on the floor of my classroom. There was so much drama. I cried in front of my students and had to go home early. (As an aside, that was the day I decided to adopt a cat, and I got my sweet Leia out of all of it.)

There was so much drama back then. On top of my professional woes, I was also planning my wedding and a subsequent move all the way across the country. I had neither a home nor a job in Chicago.

I can definitely say that I am way happier in my current life than I was back then. I might dare say I am happier now than I have ever been. The first 25 or so years of one's life are so tumultuous. And even though I think I had a great childhood and a very fortunate young adulthood, there was just so much drama.

But I'm also one of those people who believes that if things start going too well, some horrible tragedy is bound to befall you. (I know, I'm a real optimist.) So I'm going to spend the next few months hiding under a pile of pillows, just to be safe.