Slice of Life: A Year of Papers, Gone

(This is for the Slice of Life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. We write on Tuesdays about the small moments in the larger perspective and then all through March — every single day  …  You write, too.)

fire

My son, a rising high school senior, took a huge stack of papers and burned them, as a sort of cleansing ritual to end another school year. One year’s worth of effort, gone in a matter of minutes. I tried to suggest he save a few things but he would not hear of it, and so I just watched it all burn as he fed the fire.

Peace (and transitions),
Kevin

6 Comments
  1. Catharsis—I’m sure he needed it. While my tendency is to hold on to all that work, after what he’s been through this year, I’ll bet it felt liberating. New year, clean slate.

  2. Love that you offered your suggestion and although it was not met with agreement, let you son do his thing. It’s hard to do sometimes as a parent! Thanks for sharing your wandering mind.

  3. Knowing what to keep and what to burn is an important life skill! How wonderful that he is confident in his decision. He’s moving forward!

  4. I like this idea and often wish to burn many years worth of paperwork myself. My kids just throw loads of work in the trash. This seems much more dramatic.

  5. Wait – I love this so much! And also I am not going to show this to my 15 year old, as it will inspire him to create a huge fire in our driveway!

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