TGIF Forever

It’s been a hell of a summer, in just about every way. On the cusp of the middle third of August, I’m utterly spent – about as worn out as I’ve ever been when I’ve not been parenting a newborn.

Work accounts for a lot of my current spent-ness. The grantwriting “day job” of at Carleton has been unusually taxing (often in frustrating ways) this whole summer – the one period each year when I can usually count on a lull to recharge the metaphorical batteries. My online-teaching “night job” at Metro State too has been surprisingly demanding, and I’m only midway through three straight semesters with a class that I need to squeeze in between regular work, family responsibilities, and downtime.

Not that I’ve had much real downtime. In fact, I really haven’t had any meaningful “time off” since Christmas. I’ve taken some half-days off here and there, most evenings are mostly “free,” and we did take a short (but not exactly relaxing!) vacation in early July, but I’ve had no sustained time away from work. And yeah, I’m willingly working out – often pretty hard – more days than not, but honestly, I think I’d be even more drained if I couldn’t count on the straightforward physical exertion of the workouts.

Third and maybe most importantly, this summer has included plenty of challenges to the heart and mind (not to say the soul). One must be necessarily vague about these challenges, but they have played havoc with my sleep, among other habits that contribute to health and happiness. In short: 2013 is reminding me that being a grown up is a pretty complicated business.

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