{"id":1159,"date":"2014-08-18T20:36:38","date_gmt":"2014-08-19T03:36:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/?p=1159"},"modified":"2014-08-18T20:47:10","modified_gmt":"2014-08-19T03:47:10","slug":"thirty-some-years-later","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/thirty-some-years-later\/","title":{"rendered":"Thirty-Some Years Later"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"1162\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/thirty-some-years-later\/inside-of-a-classroom-with-back-to-school-on-the-chalkboard\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Back-to-School.jpg?fit=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"800,600\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Victor Soares&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;3D render of the inside of a classroom with back to school written on the chalkboard&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1218395303&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;This image is copyright material of Victor Soares. All rights reserved.&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Inside of a classroom with back to school on the chalkboard&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Inside of a classroom with back to school on the chalkboard\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;3D render of the inside of a classroom with back to school written on the chalkboard&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Back-to-School.jpg?fit=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"img-responsive alignleft wp-image-1162\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Back-to-School-650x487.jpg?resize=400%2C300\" alt=\"Inside of a classroom with back to school on the chalkboard\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Back-to-School.jpg?resize=650%2C487&amp;ssl=1 650w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Back-to-School.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/>I was up early that day. Putting on my new clothes while smelling the aroma of a home-cooked breakfast was part of that ritual. On this particular day in late August, my mom was up early making her usual spread of morning goodness which typically and always included bacon. As every mom did back in those days, she wanted to make sure I had a nutritious meal to take on the first day of a new school year. Sitting on the kitchen table was a lunch box already packed alongside my bag full of school supplies. (We weren\u2019t cool like the kids of today. We didn\u2019t have backpacks \u2014\u00a0those were for college students.) I knew that after finishing breakfast, I\u2019d have to start the quarter-mile trek\u00a0down our lane to wait on the highway for the bus to arrive. And so was the beginning of each new school year.<\/p>\n<p>Thirty-some years later, lots of things have changed. Yet some of them remain the same. This morning started quite similarly. I had to make sure that my daughters had a home cooked meal. (A few months from now I\u2019ll likely feel less compelled to do so, but the first day I have to follow Mom\u2019s example). The next few minutes around the house included packing lunches, filling backpacks, and the rush to the garage. You see, my kids don\u2019t have to walk for a quarter-mile to meet the bus. They exit the house to the garage and hop in the SUV with mom as their chauffeur since she teaches in the same school. Some things have changed; others have not.<\/p>\n<p>One of the things that hasn\u2019t changed is how much I love this time of year. There is something refreshing about new beginnings. Something that feels good when you\u2019re putting on new clothes and throwing that new backpack across your shoulders. It seems that we were made for this. It probably goes all the way back to my time on the farm as a child and continues today watching my kids walk through this normal rhythm of life. It\u2019s also probably because, as a former educator, I see what an impact this time of life has on so many. I remember back to those teachers in my life and those experiences at Maconaquah in North Central Indiana. Much of what is happening in the days ahead is shaping our generation and the impact will be felt for generations to come. If you\u2019re a parent, savor these moments because the days turn into years all too quickly. If you\u2019re an educator, teach with the understanding that you are making an impact on lives although you may never see much of the fruit until eternity. And if you are everyone else, wave at the bus driver or the mom who is shuttling kids every morning. This is the rhythm of life, and it\u2019s called back to school.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I was up early that day. Putting on my new clothes while smelling the aroma of a home-cooked breakfast was part of that ritual. On this particular day in late August, my mom was up early making her usual spread of morning goodness which typically and always included bacon. As every mom did back in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[31],"tags":[90,3,45,6],"class_list":["post-1159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-main","tag-education","tag-family","tag-fathering","tag-life"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pzg9k-iH","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1810,"url":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/the-one-thing-i-hate-to-admit\/","url_meta":{"origin":1159,"position":0},"title":"The One Thing I Hate to Admit","author":"Jon Plotner","date":"September 18, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"It happened about ten seconds after it came out of my mouth. I wish I could have grabbed the words that I had spoken and return them from whence they came. But it was too late. In front of a group of my peers I admitted, \"I feel stuck.\" I've\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Main&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Main","link":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/category\/main\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":993,"url":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/out-of-the-big-box\/","url_meta":{"origin":1159,"position":1},"title":"Out of The Big Box","author":"Jon Plotner","date":"March 8, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I haven't always been a Starbuck's fan but in the last year or so have grown more accustomed to hanging out there and having an occasional meeting there. It's only two blocks down the street from the church so it's a convenient alternative location to meet with people from the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Main&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Main","link":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/category\/main\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1435,"url":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/better-together-a-reflection-after-a-week-at-kids-camp\/","url_meta":{"origin":1159,"position":2},"title":"Better Together: A Reflection After a Week at Kids Camp","author":"Jon Plotner","date":"July 3, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"We just finished a week of New Life's Kids Camp. It's that week-long crazy madness with kids of all ages, all kinds of activities, and sleep deprivation. As a short-term former children's pastor, I remember these weeks well. Weeks of planning finally all pays off as hundreds of kids descend\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Main&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Main","link":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/category\/main\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1632,"url":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/take-a-moment-and-smell-the-coffee\/","url_meta":{"origin":1159,"position":3},"title":"Take a Moment and Smell the Coffee","author":"Jon Plotner","date":"June 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"While heading back to the office after lunch this week, I dialed Mom as I often do while driving. Sunday is Father\u2019s Day, and I could tell that she was having a hard day thinking about another year without him. It\u2019s been 8 years since Dad was with us. In\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Main&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Main","link":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/category\/main\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/pexels-photo-272887.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/pexels-photo-272887.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/pexels-photo-272887.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/pexels-photo-272887.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/pexels-photo-272887.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1445,"url":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/what-happens-when-youre-finally-alone\/","url_meta":{"origin":1159,"position":4},"title":"What Happens When You&#8217;re Finally Alone?","author":"Jon Plotner","date":"July 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This week has been like any normal week. Today was like any other normal day \u2014 a day filled with meetings, projects, and emails. Until I got home. I walked into an empty, quiet house. Even the dog seemed to recognize that something was \"off.\" My wife left for a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Main&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Main","link":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/category\/main\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1303,"url":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/the-power-of-a-great-question\/","url_meta":{"origin":1159,"position":5},"title":"The Power of a Great Question","author":"Jon Plotner","date":"December 31, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"My youngest daughter is the master of asking questions. I often find that she uses it to make conversation when she doesn\u2019t know what else to talk about. At times, it can become annoying; however, at other times, it can be a great way for us to share our stories.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Main&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Main","link":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/category\/main\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/dexmedia.jpg?fit=848%2C565&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/dexmedia.jpg?fit=848%2C565&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/dexmedia.jpg?fit=848%2C565&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/dexmedia.jpg?fit=848%2C565&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1159"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1159\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1164,"href":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1159\/revisions\/1164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonplotner.com\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}