Alexandra Bogdanovic's Blog: That's life... - Posts Tagged "bully"

So here's a question for you. When was the last time you went to elementary school? No, no, no. I am not asking about the school your children attend. When was the last time you set foot in the school where you spent your early childhood?
I went back last week.
After paying a surprisingly reasonable admission fee at a high-end art show here in Greenwich, I decided to check out an indoor tag sale and flea market at Julian Curtiss Elementary School. If nothing else, the free admission was enticing.
When I arrived, I parked next to the field where as a little girl I played soccer, baseball and ran the 600-yard dash with my classmates during annual physical fitness assessments. Funny but it seems so much smaller now...
I walked across the access road I once knew as "the bus loop" and remembered the pride, sense of independence and maturity I felt the first time I was allowed to take the bus home instead of going to the after-school program at Diamond Hill.
Through open doors, I spotted the gymnasium that I hadn't set foot in since I "graduated" back in 1981. Blocking out the clamor and looking past the tables topped with tag sale items, I saw the climbing ropes that frightened and enthralled me as a kid. I remember how determined I was to get to the top -- and how I came close but never quite succeeded.
Motivational quotes now line the walls in the gym where I learned how to play basketball, do forward and backwards rolls and traverse a balance beam. Looking to the left, I saw the stage where I had the starring roll as the Tin Man in the fifth-grade production of The Wizard of Oz.
Though open, the doors leading to the rest of the school were blocked with "Do Not Enter" signs. If that hadn't been the case, I would cheerfully have ventured into the hallways I ran -- or walked in straight lines with my classmates -- so long ago. And had I done so, even more childhood memories would have come to light.
Perhaps, if I'd had the time and opportunity, I would have found the classroom where I wrote my very first story. Based on a popular role-playing game, the tale pitted good against evil; but in my story evil triumphed.
And perhaps, if I'd had the chance to wander further, I would have reached the playground where I vanquished a grade school bully as my teachers watched and silently cheered me on.
Then again, it's probably better that I didn't have too much time to dwell on the past. For better or worse, it can't be changed... and truth be told, it's best left in the rear-view mirror.
Until next time, "That's life..."