My Slice of Life

        Blurting out answers, five kids asking me the exact same question, three others begging to go to the restroom, the sharpener goes off, and my "buddy" (as all my coworkers refer to him as) begins to mess with his nearby neighbor. All the craziness fades out as I walk out across the hall to get some fresh air and my daily dose of teacher survival snack, chocolate. I walked back in to my room; I could see the kids still talking and some even arguing but all I heard was the wrapper opening in my hands. As my hand reached for my mouth, everything seemed to move in slow motion. I closed my eyes and for a split second, I was not at work anymore. As I chewed, I could see me swinging in a lone swing in the middle of nowhere hanging from one tall tree. The breeze swiftly blowing my hair back. The smooth milk chocolate covering the light and fluffy chocolate moose, added marigolds to my empty field. The silkiness traveling to my stomach wrapped me in a light silk dress. The next bite brought the bright sun dancing to the beat of birds cheerful tweets. I took another bite, and then another, and yet another, and soon my sun filled marigold field became a cold tile floor with poster plastered walls. My ears were loaded with the song of moaning kids, pencils moving across papers, and sharpeners. As I was longing for a second chocolate bar, I opened my eyes to see my kids radiating familiar glow. The golden sun rays that danced in my field were now dancing on their faces as they frantically wrote their paper with big smiles and thought, this is my happy place.