Not much longer!

This week we got a taste of that sweet spring/summer weather.  The sun was shining and you could actually feel the heat it gives off on your body as you walked to or from your car.  The snow melted enough to see grass - although not green, it still gives hope of better days to come.  There was a constant drip coming from the roofs of houses and buildings from the melting snow that would fall to the ground and add to the already standing puddles on the sidewalks.  The puddles weren't annoying though - they weren't patches of ice - one didn't even mind jumping over or even walking through this water that reeked of energy.  The puddles weren't seen as an obstacle, they were seen as a sign of hope.  

There are those of us that really savor every second of spring and summer.  I am one of these people.  Energy abounds when the sun shines and a good thunderstorm can even resurrect the hope within a person that was squashed by the long, dark winter.  

For those of you who share this fondness of the warmer, brighter months - fret not - for soon it will be time to replace the scarf with a beach towel.  Until those temperatures arrive, let us glean refuge from the harsh winter in these glimpses of warmth we got this past week.  We have much to look forward to. 

Balance

I seem to have a problem (get in line, right?).  I have a difficult time finding balance in life.  It seems for as long as I can remember I tend to throw everything I have at something, while neglecting other aspects of my life.  I don't stop until I'm so busy that I have to schedule time to eat.  

My current major endeavor is graduate school.  I am thoroughly enjoying my studies and am taking an enormous amount of knowledge and personal growth from the experience, but at what cost?  Whenever I try to read a book for pure enjoyment or watch a movie, something inside of me sends a rush of guilt through my body.  I experience an this overwhelming feeling and beat myself up because I'm not studying.  I view school as my main "job" at the moment and so I think that if I'm not investing the majority of my time and my self toward it, I'm somehow failing. 

This is flawed thinking, I know.  I have to allow myself time to relax and recharge my batteries.  I can't possibly spend every waking minute studying and thinking about human behavior (psychology is my field of study).  I'll get burnt out before I even start practicing.  I have a tendency to pour my heart and soul into things and before I know it, I'm burnt out and need a break (as evidenced partly in my previous career as a teacher).  

Now, I don't think these guilty feelings are all that bad.  They certainly help me to stay on task and get things accomplished.  However, I do need to keep things in check and allow my self some fun every now and then.

Well, not the most exciting post - but just some thoughts.