This week has been quite the ride for me. Even though I’m the best student I know, finals are stressful. Perhaps I am just particularly susceptible to pressure in this vein, but it seems like the mere institution of final exams are profoundly anxiety-inducing. Add in some medical issues and a healthy sprinkling of social drama, and what was supposed to be a slam dunk became a chaotic tumble across the finish line.
Thus ends my first full year of college. There are many lessons to unpack, and I expect I shall spend the next few weeks doing so. In the meantime, however, I have blocked off some much needed time for glorious nothingness, followed by the launch of my summer projects.
In other news, I am proud of my brother. This week was his eighteenth birthday. By lucky coincidence, the day of his birthday was also a local budget referendum.
In the scheme of things, a plebiscite to ratify the issuing of bonds to finance a new air conditioning unit for the recreation center is far from the most important vote. The kind of people who wind up voting in such things tend to either be obsessed with local politics, or people who have committed to always voting, no matter the issue.
My brother and I voted. I did so because I see it as my civic and patriotic duty to cast my ballot for what I believe to be the greater good. And I am proud of him, because he joined me in casting a ballot, even though he didn’t have to, even though it was a perfectly nice day out and he had other things to do, as a matter of pride.
Those are the headlines for this week, or at least the ones that I can get through at the moment. Focusing everything on getting out the other end of the semester has set back my writing and drained my mind of topics for a time.
