Back To School Excitement

“It’s the most wonderful time of year.”  Yes, we’re talking about back-to-school. But don’t feel guilty: you know it’s true!  And it’s not just the most wonderful time of year for you -- it’s the most wonderful time  for our kids, too.  Why?  Because kids love stucture!  They love schedules, certainty, and routines.  And since we’re all kids deep down inside, we like structure, too!  

So, as your kids begin their school year, take a moment to add a “New School Year” resolution.  Perhaps it’s setting clothes out the night before, waking up 10 minutes earlier, coming up with a homework regimen. Whatever it is, don’t wait for January 1st to make a subtle (but meaningful) change or two. 

And for all you non-parents, or parents of adult children, use this as a time to reconfigure your life!  Think of one small thing you can do to relieve the stress, the craziness, or tensions in your life.  Maybe it’s adding an automatic email response on weekends that says, “It’s the weekend. I am relaxing/am with my family, and I’ll return your email on Monday.” 

If that’s too extreme, you can include an evening stroll with a loved one, a spouse, a friend or just solo after dinner.  Whatever it is…take a moment to make this new school year a happy one!

I know you’re probably wondering why Robin, the true crime expert, is writing about  such “fluffy” stuff.  Well, as I read the LA Times today about the snafus that VH1 made in identifying Jasmine Fiore’s (alleged) killer, Ryan Jenkins, when checking his background, I wondered how these “snafus” could keep happening time and time again. 

VH1 blamed it on “clerical” errors. Hmmm. This is the third story of “clerical“ errors in the LA Times in one month that resulted in a tragic death: Lily Burke, Dea’Von Bailey, and now Jasmine.  And while I address these in more detail in my Huffington Post piece, I still can’t help thinking that if people (clerks, included) made meaningful changes in their lives—both professionally and personally—perhaps we would see a newspaper with no reports of deaths due to “clerical” errors.

For that matter, let’s all take inventory, make changes, and make this the most wonderful year we’ve ever had.