The Final Countdown
Well, it has come to be that time of the semester again where project deadlines are oppressively looming overhead and a beach vacation to Florida in May is the carrot dangling in front of me, coaxing me along the way toward my completion date of May 10th. Of course, it is not my ‘I’m done with school’ completion date, but it does mean that I am done with another semester of coursework and that is always a good thing.
This time of year always gets me to thinking about how I got through it the last time, how I can improve my process, and what shape I will be in when it is all done. As you can imagine, this reflection can be painful at times … remembering sleepless nights and the agony of never having enough time to get things perfect is never pleasant … but alas, that is what it takes sometimes to get things done. It makes the reward that much more fabulous in the end, right?
Of all of the things I remember most during these times, it is those ridiculous rants that I tend to go on to my husband, brother, best friends, etc. when I get totally stressed out about this academic life that I am pursuing. During a particularly fierce moment last December, as I was standing on the tallest soap box that I could find, my husband just looked at me, smiled and said … ‘Academia … isn’t that a parish in Louisiana?’. I laughed at him … and then at myself for a very long time.
So, with that thought in mind, I venture off to finish off another semester in the best way that I know how … sense of humor in check, loud music on the speakers, and visions of sparkling white sand and blue water on my mind. With any luck, I’ll be checking my brain at the Florida border come May 12th!