A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
– Winston Churchill
Summer is winding down here in the South. In a few days, kids will be leaving the pools, playgrounds, and backyards for desks, hallways, and classrooms. Some lament the return to routine and early mornings and traffic, while others rejoice in the beauty of new opportunities, new friends, new experiences. Many view the end of summer with a mix of emotions, like any milestone.
As unhappy as the end seems, it is also the chance to start again, to take a different path, to be a better parent or student or employee or leader, to accomplish something great in the next chapter of one’s life. A season’s end is a simple and gentle reminder of the bittersweet nature of life.
Here’s to the end of summer and to a new school year, a new fall, and another new beginning.