last day of spring break

This spring break has been great. Definitely better than 2004, when I had to travel to my home town to begin cleaning up and packing my mother's house in preparation for her selling it and moving. (That was not relaxing, it was more like a trip to a prison labor camp.) Definitely better than 2003, when I had my arm in a cast and yet was frantically trying to write in preparation for turning in my tenure file that August. Definitely better than 2002, when we were in couples therapy wrestling with some big issues. I can't remember further back than that in detail. But 2005 rocked, in comparison:

• I broke through my horrible terrible embarrassing psychological block on a particular writing project (with help from my friend)
• I began writing a short talk for a conference that needs to be done in two weeks
• I only went to the office one day and didn't let the administrivia take over any more of my break than that
  
• I cleaned up piles of stuff in my study at home
• I got to talk to a dear friend twice, after months of separation. I caught up with some other long-distance friends, too.
  
• I watched movies, did yoga, caught up on sleep, played with the dogs and generally lived a pleasant and sane existence.

I wonder if in part this year's break was so good because I'd taken that long weekend so soon beforehand -- started the relaxation response and just kept it going.

Even today, as I inevitably consider all the things that have to get done tomorrow, Tuesday, the rest of the week, I'm just not feeling too stressed. Yes, it would have been nice to been superhumanly productive. But I wasn't and I refuse to get all crazy about it. Tomorrow will be time enough.

My plan for the rest of the day: I'm going to meet a friend for a matinee, take the dogs to the park, make lasagne (which will take care of meals for a couple of days), and get ahead on the reading for my classes this week. I refuse to make this a grumpy last day.