Repeat After Me...

“I am retired! I do not need any more teaching supplies.” Say it again!

“I am retired! I do not need any more teaching supplies.”

Dad reminded me to keep saying that after I noticed that there was a new Lakeshore store close to the Arboretum.

Now to really appreciate how much excitement this brought, you have to understand that Lakeshore was my very favorite teacher supply store. It had all kinds of math manipulatives, new and different games that helped build math and language concepts, more neat pocket charts for more purposes than you could ever imagine, and tons of disposable materials that made the art table really enticing. Whenever I went to Dallas for a conference every couple of summers, I always had to go by Lakeshore and buy lots of the newest stuff for the school year to come. And if we had a little extra time on the way to see the Cuevas family, I’d try to persuade Dad to drive into San Antonio at least as far as 410, so we could stop at the Lakeshore there and then go out on I-10 to Boerne.

My first response when I saw it was “Yipee! Gotta go there as soon as possible”. And then I felt a little hurt. “I wonder why they didn’t let me know they’ve opened a store here? I’ve spent lots of money with them over the years.”

I waited a couple of days and thought about how much fun it was going to be. And then I went and I walked all around the store and walked out without being tempted to buy even a single thing.

I guess it’s true. “I am retired! I do not need any more teaching supplies.”