December 4, 2008

I'm Tired...

It's been a long semester, but there's just one week to go. One final 15-page paper to write. One last assignment to hand in. One more week of fighting the traffic. One more week of coming home late. One week from today, my last class will conclude and 4 short weeks of school break can begin just in time for the Christmas season to overwhelm me.

I'm tired.

I'm tired of getting home after my son is asleep and leaving in the morning before he wakes up. I'm tired of looking up journal articles, fretting over in-text citations, APA formatting and layouts for PowerPoint slideshows. My brain is tired of academics. I'm tired of concepts, theories, timelines and and policy specifics.

I'm tired of reading about society's complex social problems, whether in textbooks, blogs or on the front page of the paper. I'm tired of gloomy headlines and cynical forecasts about the economic crisis, bailout proposals, cabinet picks and the Bush/Obama transition. I'm even starting to get tired of politics- wow, did I really just say that?

Don't worry, I still want to change the world, just not today. I still want to help people break free from poverty, just after I finish writing my paper about it. I still want to pursue truth, justice and peace, just let my brain catch its breath. Right now, all I want to do watch NBA highlights and chase my toddler around the living room. That sounds very nice.

With school winding down and the holidays fast approaching, I'm ready for a change of pace. I'm looking forward to drinking egg nog, watching It's A Wonderful Life and going out to see the Honolulu city lights display as we do every year. I'm ready to spend time catching up with family and friends.

On a deeper level, my mind and heart are ready to celebrate the birth of Christ. I'm hoping for a simple, but reflective Christmas this year. Shopping does not interest me, but I'm more than ready to sing carols about peace on earth. I don't need any spiffily packaged presents this year, just tell me the old Christmas story. I want to hear about the shepherds, the angels and wise men from the East. Tell me about Gabriel, Herod and the journey to Bethlehem. Tell me about Mary, Joseph and their newborn King. Tell me about the Incarnation. Tell me about the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. I will never be tired of that story.

2 comments:

sugartasticpimp said...

poor bugga;

may the 4 weeks of break be full of recharging rest.

luckypopo said...

I'm glad you're getting some time off, Dan. I knew you were tired, but I didn't realize you were THAT tired til I saw it all on your blog. Hope you will be refreshed this Christmas season.