Being Youthful Again

Any other year I would not have been able to pull off being General Leia Organa for the day, but this year R2-D2—aka The Fun Carolina Jane (see photo at end of essay)—lives downstairs and I work at an elementary school. Game On!

I was unexpectedly delighted to wake up on Friday and see Carolina’s message. In response to my note, “Ideas for a Star Wars costume?” she’d written, “Wear white, preferably robe-like. Wake me up and I’ll do your hair.”

To think I had learned only the day before that May 4^th is Star Wars Day, everywhere not just at my work place. And I had almost resorted to sporting my school’s 50^th anniversary t-shirt and jeans, the fall-back attire worn by many staff members on Fridays. Instead I resurrected the all-white slithery rayon pantsuit I’d bought for our first wedding anniversary 35 years ago.

I have to give it to my fun-loving colleagues and those adorable kids. There were no masks or weapons as directed but there were Chewbaccas, robots and stormtroopers, Lukes and Rays. And several others besides me were bi-bunned.

I knew it was going to be a fabulous day when a second grader stopped me in the crowded courtyard before the first bell with “Hey, Ms. Reid, you look young!” Talk about an added bonus. I was being considered a princess for the day even though by the time Leia reached my age she was definitely a middle-aged battle-ax.

Let it be known:

Every weekday in our galaxy not so far, far away, we gather, nearly 700 of us, and the force awakens. I’m glad I’ve witnessed this phenomena called Oak Heights Elementary celebrating,

“May the fourth be with you!”

I was happy to reply, “And also with you!”