A Much Needed Break

Posted May 28, 2018 by Megan Ondricek

I’m afraid I don’t have any exciting summer adventures to report on yet; with my son’s preschool still in session our summer hasn’t officially started. To be quite honest, I’ve been laying pretty low since the semester ended. I’ve written no blogs (until this one), largely ignored my school email, and given barely any thought to school or libraries. I’ve also been sick almost the entire time (thanks kids) which has necessitated taking it easy. That means watching shows, reading books, and playing silly games on my phone. But the best part of my break so far has been all the unstructured quality time I’ve been able to spend with my family, without the worry of school deadlines weighing me down and subtly siphoning away my energy and attention. My husband and kids are thrilled to have mommy back in full for a little while.

And yes, as others have mentioned, spring is in full swing here in New England. It’s that brief and magical time of year when the house needs no heating or cooling – a few open windows does the trick. The insects are beginning to reappear but have not become a nuisance yet and the rain is charming and soothing. It’s one of the few times of the year that I can lord it over my friends in Virginia, who are already contending with heat and humidity.

It’s lovely, it’s relaxing, it’s easy right now – the exact opposite from life a month ago. It’s given me time to think about the big picture, and about what happens after graduate school. Unfortunately my thoughts have been tending more toward the “will this all be worth it?” variety. Honestly if I had to start classes again tomorrow I think I would be dreading it. Let’s chalk it all up to a “mid-program slump” and the fact that I really needed a break. There are still about three more weeks until my online class starts, and I feel confident that by then I will be ready to dive in again. Thank goodness for the seasons and the cycles in our lives that bring variety and balance and keep life interesting.