Day 4 - 353 -- Rushing, Rushing Everywhere

The weather changed today. I walked into work in the snow and home in the rain. There were some rather slippery sections on the downhill slanted sidewalks. I stood at one place and simply slid down hill and into the street -- luckily no car in that lane then. The snow on the ground was quite slushy but I pushed what I could off the walkway at home. Tonight brings a temperature drop that will freeze it all solid. It really seems winter has arrived.  Other than the weather watching, I seemed to be running around at the office getting the final things done before leaving work tonight. I plan to work from home tomorrow and then the campus closes until January 2 -- and classes begin January 3. <yikes> So much left to do for work and for Christmas mailing -- celebrating on the Julian calendar this year, I think <smile..

Rushing around seems the norm for this time of year. People prepare for travel and guests over the holidays which involves much shopping, cooking, baking, decorating, cleaning, and on and on. Everyone is in a hurry. I'm not sure why we wind ourselves up so much but it has been like this for as long as I recall. Adding the world of academia to the mix just augments the high level stress. We need to find moments of calm in the craziness -- not an easy task. We did have a campus holiday lunch today, which gave us a short time to visit and relax. Yet, relaxing feels selfish when there is so much to do no matter which way we turn. This may be the time for the common anxiety dream of running away from all things pressuring us to be perfect. <smile>

I heard a song as I worked away this afternoon that seemed to be the anthem of the day. The lyrics seem to pressure the title character to push more to go faster -- like one's best just isn't enough. Many versions have been recorded. Today I share one from a great singer who grew up in Canada, and is from Scotland originally. Enjoy!

Run, Run, Rudolph -- Johnny Reid