FORGETTING THE FILE

I am not out of school for thirty-six hours when I realize I have forgotten something that I need in my desk.  Yup, everything is safely locked away where it belongs in my school closet and my school file cabinets and my school desk, except that I need four papers with the final statistics to close out my two-year long educator evaluation and prep for the next round.

I could wait until September, I'm sure, but then I'll be perseverating about it all summer.  I'll be mentally beating myself up over leaving one stupid binder behind with four stupid papers inside my stupid locked desk.  Well, to be honest, I'm sure it won't bother me that much, but I'd rather not be bothered at all.  So, I call the school to make sure the janitorial staff hasn't started stripping the floors in my hallway.

Once I receive the all-clear, I head over to school.  It's raining a little bit when I get into my car.  By the time I make the eight-mile drive, though, we are in complete and utter deluge conditions.  One thing is for certain: I'm going to look like a drowned rat by the time I make it across the administrative parking lot, which is exactly where I park since I'm technically not a regular staff employee today.

I have the papers I need within three minutes, run down the hall to make one copy of the statistical analysis key just in case, lock everything back up, and exit the building between downpours.  I have one more errand, and I know my luck won't hold out forever.  Of course, running in and out of the store is a crap-shoot based on today's on-again-off-again storms, and I get completely caught in the worst of it running back to my car when my errand is done.

Contrary to what the students and their parents say and believe, I do NOT melt when I'm in water, therefore I cannot be The Wicked Witch.  As soon as I'm home and the rain lets up somewhat, a tree promptly smacks my shoulder with a huge splotch of water before I can make it safely inside.  Now that the errand is done and I can get that off of my mind, I pile the oh-so-important papers on top of all the other oh-so-important papers and promptly forget all about them.

I mean, it is finally school break, right?  Now my summer can begin.