“Launch” is a word I’ve been thinking a lot about, with its unique ability to capture excitement and terror in one simple syllable. It was a blink ago when I prepped to launch our first-born into kindergarten, stacking #2 pencils in a Batman backpack and printing “I love you!” on a lunchbox napkin. Now I’m stashing towels in a dorm-sized fridge and stuffing in rolls of quarters with the hope that he will actually do laundry. But little had changed when I showed him the camouflage Band-aids I bought for his First Aid Box and he said, “Those are kinda cool.” His kindergarten-self would have agreed.
Thirteen years later, the launch, for me, is just as hard. Will he find good friends who like his quick smile and appreciate his ability to play a plunger on his stomach? Will he find kind teachers who will help him navigate the new hallways and show him where to get hot lunch? Will someone be there when he faces his first agonizing disappointment, like discovering he was doomed to a future of lining up in “ABC order” and his initials were ZW? Thirteen years ago, I dropped him off at Mrs. MacIntire’s class with a bright smile and a gentle shove. I was able to make it to the corner bathroom (with the shockingly tiny toilets) before starting to cry. This year I told him my going-away gift will be a tearless parting. He laughed, bent his 6’4’” frame around my shoulders in a big hug and said, “Yeah, right.” Which made me cry.
I’m launching this blog at the same time, with the same mixture of excitement and terror. Sharing and promoting my writing, especially the recent release of my first novel, has been exciting. Sharing myself is a bit terrifying. So here is my first post on my new blog on my newborn website, because any good launch requires a brave first step - as any kindergartener and college kid knows.
