It's been a long time since I've blogged...but I have a good excuse for my naughtiness. I was studying for the Professional Engineer's Exam - an 8-hour, 100-question all engineering test that required all my time, energy, concentration, and will power to prepare for. So, forgive me for not having the ability to think about anything other than chemical formulas, Bernouli's equation, or proper sizing of wastewater treatment systems for the last few weeks. Yeah, my life was pretty darn exciting for the entire month of March.
BUT...like all things, good and bad, that day has passed, and now I am able to go back to my normal, witty, charming self. I know you were all missing me so much!
During the dreariness of exam preparation, I spent many hours locked in my house, sitting at my kitchen table, working through problems that I haven't thought about since I went to college (a million years ago). Some days, I didn't go outside at all. I ate a LOT of Nutella and Peanut butter (on a spoon). I stayed in my stretchy pants for what felt like eons at a time. I didn't brush my hair. Showering was optional. I couldn't even have a coherent 2-minute conversation with anyone about anything if they weren't spouting out chemical names or flash point temperatures.
Greg was pretty much relegated back to single life. A life where he had to care for a mentally incapacitated roommate who required that he do all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, etc. He is pretty awesome and I am one tremendously lucky woman to be able to call him my husband and best friend.
It just so happened that, this year, Easter Sunday fell one week before the exam. As is my family's common practice, nothing was planned for Easter Sunday until 2 weeks before the big date. My Grandmother wanted to have an Easter Egg hunt at her house with many of her great grandchildren present to find eggs, eat chocolate, and cause a general ruckus. Despite the fact that nobody from my immediate family was going to attend Easter at Grandma's, I decided that I would definitely need a break from studying and that going to Grandma's to hang out with my cousins, Aunts, Uncles, and friends would be just the thing I would need to get me out of the house and my mind temporarily off of the topic of how to maximize the efficiency of combustion of chlorinated solvents. Yeah, no exaggeration here - that's really what I had to learn.
Anyway, the weekend was amazing! I got to spend some great quality time with people I truly do love, especially my grandmother. She literally is the epitome of a seemingly bottomless heart and endlessly peaceful spirit. Maybe it takes more than 8 decades of life on earth to achieve the level of tranquility that she, no doubt, possesses. I have 5 more decades to live before I can know whether my outlook on life will ever be as content as hers seems to be from my perspective. But, really, spending time with her is like spending time in a quiet embrace - even when there are more than 10 toddlers running around your ankles as you try to glaze a ham. Her ability to brush things off, not sweat the small stuff, and thoroughly enjoy every minute of every day is amazing to me.
I came back to reality on Sunday night, thoroughly refreshed and ready to hit the books. The power of being with those who you love and who care about you is truly uplifting. I am so fortunate to have been born into such an amazing family - one that supports me without being overbearing, one that celebrates my accomplishments with me without becoming competitive, and one that nourishes my soul with every small encounter.
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