When Is it Over?

A couple of weeks ago, a friend asked me if I would consider my leave over on the last day of school, since normally I would be finished* with work on that day as well.

My initial reaction was to scream "No! It can't be over!" But when my heart settled back in my chest, I wondered about the question. When would my leave be considered over?

Would it be on the regularly scheduled last day of school? If so, that day was yesterday. Children and teachers all over the area rejoiced as the busses pulled out.

Maybe my leave would be considered over when I got a new job. At that point, my mind might start turning away from writing and back toward teaching. If that's the case, in an amazing coincidence, that day was also yesterday. (More about that over the next week.)

Lastly, my leave could be considered over at midnight, Wednesday, August 20th. That's because the following day I have to wake up and go to work meetings. In this option, my leave does not expire until the absolute last minute.

However, I've decided that it doesn't really matter when my leave is over. I'll still be working on my writing even when I go back to work. And I would probably think about next year on and off during the summer even if I didn't have a specific job to contemplate.

Life is fluid's like that.

*I am never finished with my job on the last day of school. I usually have to work 3-5 more days to complete all the required tasks. Ah, well . . .