Sunday morning. Early. Homecoming Hangover, but not the way you may think. Lights were brought into our stadium Friday – excitement. Lights gone Sunday morning. Sad. 
 
Still, poaching off kids' energy is a two-way street. Sure, it'll keep you going, but once you crash, you crash. Totally. All four wheels, all four hubcaps, windshield at both ends, doors fly open and off.
 
Still, you learned something years ago from a good friend of yours, and last week you remembered it - while kids were dressed as sharks and a teacher was riding up and down the halls in a bicycle (not kidding), and students were carrying books in golf club bags and shopping carts. As for you, you made yourself stop and ask a question – said question called a pure moment when the answer is "no."
 
And the question is, "Is there anywhere else you'd rather be?" 
 
You said it again Friday after a Holy Heartbreak, but still you stopped while getting quotes from the coach in the huddle and you looked out at all those wonderful, resilient, will-live-forever kids who'd just adrenalized their way through a Homecoming week before pounding bodies against some of the biggest in the conference. 
 
Sure, they always say "This too shall pass," but sometimes you simply don't want it to, but instead you stand out there and look – at this scene, these people, these alum, all these tables and amplifiers and press box people and parents and referees and security guards and cones. My God, look how many it takes to do this!! Who planned all this?
 
You guess this is funny coming from the source, but words weren't necessary…
 
There are people here that knew that the lights were 52 feet high, a student just walked by that put your computer on Arabic subtitles (who does that?), a P.A. man that put his lawn equipment up to call the game while coaching the kids on the side. Or on the front side.
 
There were picture parties despite the hair day being good or bad. Hair and nails and spray tan booths' sales skyrocketed. You watched our Head of School pull a switch and lights came on – the end result of the game might've dimmed them somewhat, but good doesn't stay on dim, or even on mute. 
 
It just grows and glows – it keeps going. 
 
Then these cheerleader people that went to practice several days a week before the first bell ever rang, you let them in the gym yourself and saw the mattress marks on their faces, but regardless, and in pure cheerleader fashion, they looked up at you and smiled and said, "Thank you Coach Dunn."
 
Yes, being around kids can find your heart melting, even at dark thirty on odd Monday's while waiting on your cross country kids. 
 
So, you sit at this school now – because when you take in the moments before it always helps to take in the moments after. There's a sad feeling, but you shift your focus and realize it's only a reset, a pause, a couch nap if you will, where the couch last night accepted you like a puppy with unconditional love. 
 
And the sadness disappears, because tomorrow morning the doors will open again. Kids will enter, gather, make a mess, flirt, giggle, maybe even destroy some property. They'll drive you absolutely crazy.
 
Then again, they'll save your life.
 
Therefore, the question, and it is only one: Is there anywhere else you'd rather be?
 
Have a great Sunday…