Picnic Time

The university picnic has become not only a university tradition but a signal of the end of summer fun and the beginning of fall studies and new adventures.  Being a university employee and student gives me a bit of a different perspective- a view of both worlds of education. The picnic for me is a chance to escape from my desk and mountains of paperwork and go outside to let my brain relax.  I would guess that many other staff and faculty feel the same way as they come scurrying from their various offices, letting their pupils adjust to the sun and quickly filling their plates with barbeque.

I painfully walk with my coworkers to the tables of food as my high heels punish me for my previous endeavors across campus.  Jealously slips in as I see the various students wearing sweats and tennis shoes and I remind myself that this long day is almost over. 

The heat is pressing down on me and I am once again disappointed to see hot dogs and hamburgers.  I fill my plate halfheartedly and just hope that cookies await me at the end of this line.  I closely examine my burger and wonder what percentage of fat vs. meat it contains and if it was even cooked today. No cookies.  Bummer.  I make a quick walk around the student tables and exchange a few smiles and waves with both students and staff.  Then I return to my office to allow fellow employees and receive the same break that I received.

(Photos Copyrighted by Avila University Facebook)