New Town, New School, New Friends

Technically, it's Saturday right now (2:09 am), but I wanted to participate in Memory Lane Friday.  It's the first day in a series on the school years.  I thought it would be fun to think back to each grade and remember something that has long been forgotten. 

My family moved to a new town the summer before I started Kindergarten.  For a five year old, this wasn't a big deal.  Like most of my classmates, I didn't know anyone on the first day of school.  Was I nervous? Scared? Excited?  Your guess is as good as mine.  I don't remember much about how I was feeling that warm September day.  If I had to guess, I was probably pretty excited to be riding the bus to school, just like my sisters. 

I waited at the end of our long gravel driveway with my dog, Gus, and my mom.  The big yellow school bus made its way up our road, around the cul-de-sac, and came to a stop at my drive way.  Standing by the mailbox in my pink corduroy jumper, I posed for my "first day of school" photo.  I ascended the three steep steps into the bus, turned to face my mother for one more snap shot, then wandered down the narrow aisle to find a vacant seat.

Once we arrived at school, I waited my turn to exit the bus.  When I approached the entrance to the elementary school, I noticed a small figure standing at the top of the stairs.  I don't know what made me approach her, but I walked right up to this tiny, curly haired girl and asked her if she needed help.  I don't remember what her response was, but in that moment, we bonded.  It turned out, we rode the same bus, in fact, we were practically neighbors.  From that day on, we were best friends.  Unfortunately, we were never put in the same classroom all through elementary school.  Once school was over, we'd ride bikes to each others houses and spend the afternoon together.  We had a running joke where she would point out her birthday was 10 days before mine, then I would retort, I was at least 10 inches taller.  Oh, the things young children find amusing.

Sometime during middle school, like many childhood friendships, we drifted apart.  I could probably take some advice from my five year old self.  You never know who might turn out to be your best friend, until you approach them with a greeting.