September is always such a great time of year, when summer winds down, the kids head back to school, and people refocus their attention away from the rest and relaxation of the summer and towards new projects at work and new endeavours in the community.
Whenever I visit friends who have school-age children, I always get the impression the kids have grown at least an inch over the summer. A few carefree summer months spent outside in our parks and playgrounds always seems to do them a world of good. By September, however, without fail the kids are always excited to get back to school, to begin a new year full of new experiences, friendships and possibilities.
The rest of us would do well to remember this feeling of wonder and excitement at new possibilities as we head into the fall. This was a difficult summer in many ways, with a long labour dispute being the most obvious example. With a new contract in place, it's time to put this issue behind us and refocus our collective attention on what we can do to address the problems faced by our community and our city. There are many exciting projects already under way or just getting started this fall, in both our community and the city as a whole, from the tunnel being built at Dufferin and Queen, or to the new Transit City lines starting construction.
I know I'm excited by what the future holds and confident that we'll be able to overcome the challenges we face together. I hope you'll join me in this adventure. And when things get tough, when anxiety and doubt creeps into our thoughts, it would be good to remember the way our children face the unknowns of a new school year: full of excitement and wonder as they move forward to discover the new possibilities and opportunities that await them.
