We just finished reading period of the third term at Lawrence and I have to say, it was necessary. For me, as we wind our way down to the last few weeks, school can get pretty exhausting when I know that I am so close to being done. Summer is one of the best times of year, especially back home in Traverse City. The warm water and beaches are hard to pass up for writing papers, as odd as that sounds. I get to go back and see my girlfriend for a solid three months instead of having to play the long distance game of when are we available at the same time. It can get to be a bit of a grind here at the end and I can’t even imagine what it is like for seniors: all of the emotion, excitement, and desire to be out on their own in the world.
But even without all of those things to look forward to, one of the things that makes these last few weeks the hardest, is knowing that all of my close friends at other schools on semesters are done. And I mean really done. It’s difficult to talk to people and have every single one of them be surprised that I don’t come home until June. It makes the end of the year so much more salient when you can physically see pictures of it and hear the stories of summer, and yet there are still four more weeks that have to be taken seriously. It’s grueling.
For me, though, I wouldn’t give this feeling up for anything.
I love all of my classes, especially this term. The people here make it easier and more fun. As hard as it can be sometimes to get myself to do the work, I still love the heart of it all: the learning. Four more weeks isn’t that long to get to be reconnected to friends and family while having little to no worries for three months. Reading period is just enough to help me finish out the term. A good few days of a little homework, yes, but nothing too terrible. It gives everyone at least one or two days to do whatever they want with no guilt about blowing off work. I’ll take a little extra push at the end for all the happiness that I get the rest of the year. I’ll survive.