The end of summer is chasing us here in the Midwest, and my son and I are trying to cram in as much fun as possible before the first day of school, August 16. Yikes! When I say it out loud that sounds really early! Does anyone remember when we started school after Labor Day and still got out way before June?
Anyway, in the name of summer fun we headed to the Moon Marble Company in Bonner Springs, Kansas, yesterday. We arrived just in time to watch the artisan and owner of Moon Marble transform a few pieces of raw glass into a shiny, smooth and very cool marble. It’s an awesome process to watch (the owner also is pretty clever) and the marble company makes it easy on the gawkers with a nice sized set of bleachers and large screen television for comfort and viewing.
In addition to this main event, visitors can must also peruse the sizable retro toy store/gift shop, which of course everyone walks through on their way to and from the marble making room. And let me tell you, after you watch a marble being made you might look at these little round balls of glass in a whole new light. You WILL want to come home with a pocketful of your own shiny objects, and we did!
So there I was, standing in line to pay for my son’s plastic tube full of brightly colored marbles, when a lady leans forward and asks me if I ever taught school in Nickerson. Indeed I had, but that was so many years ago and many miles away that I was completely caught off guard. I didn’t recognize the face behind the voice and I quickly went into internal panic mode when she explained that she was one of my former students. I never like to forget a student; but let’s face it, she would have been a teenager the last time I saw her. Things got really crazy when she explained (probably because of the bewildered look on my face) who she was and that she recognized me because I “haven’t changed a bit.”
What did she say?
I squeezed that silly little plastic tube I was holding and literally lost some of my marbles! I swear I chased those fast-moving little suckers as quickly as I chased my memories (and I probably unknowingly left a few of both behind).
Although flustered and embarrassed after chasing my marbles about the floor, I did manage to recall her younger self after she gave me her name. It actually turned out fun to run into a former student from my first teaching job of so many years ago. We reminisced, talked about our kids (she has six by the way, with the oldest a senior in high school, and I have only one who is about to start second grade – go figure) and briefly caught up on our current whereabouts; but the one glaring (and extremely flattering) thing I took away from this whole chance encounter was that she said, “You haven’t changed a bit!”
Maybe she was the one who lost her marbles. . .
photo credit: Reva G Shadows vs. light via photopin (license)