“19 days from Tuesday!”

There’s a young lady I know that cannot put ice skates on her feet without first putting a smile on her face. Skating and playing hockey makes most kids happy as a lark but Miss Abby takes it to another level. When her feet are moving and she’s gliding across the ice, the smile on her face never falters.

I’ve shared many a practices and open skates with this little speedster and her energy is contagious. She’s a good little hockey player. She’s strong on her skates, her stick handling is emerging and she knows how to go to the net. I challenge anyone to find a picture of her on the ice where her wide grin isn’t obvious behind the cage of a hockey helmet.

On the way home from a game last Saturday, from the back seat little Abby-girl proclaimed with a jolt, ““19 days from Tuesday, Coach Kirby will be here!” The excitement in her proclamation startled her mother but she showed emotions like my own children have been feeling for months on end now.

Now the countdown doesn’t seem so unrelenting. 19 days from Tuesday seems miniscule compared to the number of days, weeks and months that have stacked up since I left in July.

Today I walked the chilly streets of Kotzebue. I’m down here attending a coach’s conference prior to the start of a basketball season in the Arctic. When class was over we had a few hours to burn so I headed for a Native Art store for some Holiday shopping. After making my purchase I threw on my backpack and started to make my way back through town. Just as I reached the street, I was startled by the thunder of a large jet taking off from the Kotzebue Airport.  The freedom bird took me by surprise because at first I only recalled the Alaska Airlines jets leaving Kotz daily at about 7:00 am and about 7:00 pm…and then I remembered that on Tuesdays they add a third flight at Mid Day.

This big bird took to the sky with a different roar than the Navajos and Caravans that I’ve grown accustomed to. With a hard right in to the clear crisp sky I realized that the next time I see and hear the roar of one of those commercial airplanes, I’M GOING TO BE ON IT!!!

Today is Tuesday.

“19 days from Tuesday” – starts today!

I cannot wait to skate with that smiley little girl, Abby. I can’t wait to hug #17 her teammate and my daughter. I cannot wait to bear hug the boy we call Bear. I cannot wait to kiss my wife and see her personal reaction to the Yukon Cornelius beard.

A little teaching left to do before break.

A little testing left to do before break.

A little ball to be played before break.

And before you know it, I’ll be back right where I belong.