Exhaling

When the movie “Waiting To Exhale” first came out, I had not yet had enough life experience to understand the title. That is no longer true. I have now had many times when my life was so full, so busy, or so stressful that I felt like I hadn’t had a long exhale in a long time.

I’m having that right now. As my first semester as a returning college student winds down, I am overwhelmed with last minute details and meetings. Managing my registration for next semester, preparing portfolios to turn in, and studying for finals all have me in a bit of a tailspin. To be fair, I have worked ahead as far as possible in all of my courses, earning me a well-deserved teasing from my class mates. My load isn’t as big as it could be. But it’s big enough. And sometimes I think I’m not able to hold it up much longer. Fortunately, there is a little break coming. Tomorrow I only have one meeting on campus, and then no class until Monday. Thanksgiving is upon us, and with it, four class-free days. For that, I am truly thankful.

Next Monday, I will trudge back to campus and finish out my last couple of weeks of classes and finals. Then I will exhale. Aw, hell. I might just exhale twice.