Treading Water

I'm keeping my head above the water.  Not so easy in the metaphoric sense than the physical.  In school, I have to work.  I have to remember to study for the Calculus test on Friday that I need to do well on.  I have to remember to buy new laundry detergent, since the first bottle ran out.  I have to remember to clean my room, do my homework, not let the milk go rotten.  Not like swimming.  Treading water is peaceful, relaxing.  It's so effortless, when you know and understand the water.  When you understand how each kick, each twist of the arm will contribute to your buoyancy, it is easy to float, to keep your head up.  Familiarity makes it easy.  So perhaps the same is true for life.  As college life becomes a routine, it will become easier and easier, until it's finally time to move from "big world" to "real world," to a job and a house and adult responsibilities.  I did so well at our Combat Water Survival Training lab because I knew and understood water.  Going from swimming circles around the diving well, treading water with friends to jumping blindfolded from a diving board three meters up holding a rubber duck M-4 and wearing a uniform, swimming fully clothed 25 yards with the duck above your head, falling in and removing a vest underwater, is not so very difficult if you understand the basics of navigating water.  It's even fun, swimming with friends, jumping off the high dive, getting to lap the guys time after time instead of watching them run by me day after day, lap after lap; walking fully clothed into a shower and just standing as the hot water poured down my dry ACUs and soaked in to the bathing suit underneath; getting out of the water and watching it pour from my sleeves like a hose, squirt from my shoes as I walked; taking it all off to change into soft, warm yoga pants for class, tying my hair in a sloppy wet bun behind my head.  And in the end, I get to throw it all straight into a washing machine and press the button.  Voila.  All done.

It's been nice to have some time off.  I celebrated Thanksgiving in Chicago with a friend of mine and her family.  I got some homework done, ate some turkey, laughed a lot.  It's Saturday morning and I'm going downtown.  I've never seen downtown Chicago.  But I'm dreading Monday morning.  Having to haul out of bed at six and do pushups and run circles and stand at attention does not appeal to me, stuffed with food and well-slept as I am now. Staring down the barrel of a scary Calc test doesn't make matters better.  Stop.  Don't think about it.  Think about Thursday and going downtown to see Les Miserables, think about going from there to the airport to bring your brother to Calvin.  Think about the Calvin-Hope hockey game Friday night, and the low key weekend to follow.  Low key...  Nothing will be low key again until after Finals are over, in three weeks.  Stop.  Don't think about it.  Think about December 15 and flying home for Christmas and seeing family and friends and the beautiful beach.