Taking a Break

Reading break is officially over in three hours.

I have done a minimal amount of reading, but a fair amount of relaxing.  It's a bit hard to comprehend that even on "a break" we are still working. Is doing nothing a crime?  I'm not advocating we all become sloths - I believe in hard work - but I also believe in balance.

Balance escapes me every now and then though, and those that I love sometimes see me falling down familiar pathways of pain.  Can we free ourselves from our past or are we doomed to repeat the same mistakes?  I find myself so easily over-committed.  I'm the first person to tell someone else to relax and sometimes the last person to actually unwind.  The word yes comes hurtling out of my mouth at break-neck speeds when asked to help, and all of a sudden I am on my knees with things to do and places to go.

The other thing on my mind is, achieving a high grade is something that I say I don't care about, but when I find myself achieving  a satisfactory mark instead of an excellent mark it translates to failure. I don't get it!  I wish I could be happy with an A-.  I can't help but wonder if there is a better way to assess learning....

I guess I only have a few more years of formal education and then all of this will seem so far away. As much as I love learning, I am looking forward to figuring out my own answers and having the freedom to live the way I choose.  This is SUCH a luxury! How lucky we are to be able to live the lives we desire.

So on days like this, when I feel lonely and a bit discontent  I need to remember to be grateful for the roof over my head, the food in my stomach, the incredible family I was born to, the friends I have found, the lessons I can learn, and the Earth that keeps it all spinning.

Life could be as simple as the wind.