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Summer?

 Today is the last day of school for both kids. Will is totally done and Ryan's bus will drop him off at around 2:30 and he'll be done. The end of school is always a relief, but this year especially so. It's been hard on all families and I'm sure not many people are sorry to see its end. But I'm also always a little bit sad at the end of the school year, and this year is no different. It will be wonderful not hearing the alarm at 5:45 the next couple of months and it will be sublime not to have to pester anyone about homework or pull off last-minute miracle assists on big projects that I didn't know about before an hour before the deadline. But school is an important element of life for families with kids, and teachers form important relationships with families. I think that's why I edge toward sad at the end of the year. I asked Ryan yesterday if we was even a little, tiny bit sad by school ending and he rolled his eyes back at me bigger than I realized was possible for a human eyeball. So, that's a no. Good for him, honestly! 

As for me and work, I don't know why I even bother to try anymore. This working from home stuff has advantages, but I am way past being able to focus or be motivated at home. Every day I dress like garbage and wander from room to room with my laptop, trying to relieve the monotony. It worked for a while but no longer. I'm tired all day and want to snooze. Miraculously, these conditions only extend to the traditional work hours. Once the clock strikes 5 or so and I no longer feel like I should be working, I have all the energy in the world! Likewise, if I can convince Matt to play hooky with me and go for a walk or whatever, the fatigue disappears. I read something during the pandemic about human beings' need for novelty and I have been sorely without for many months. I think that accounts for most of my problem. That said, I'm not exactly excited about the eventual return to normal life. I would like to find some balance between the old grind of commuting and the new grind of working from home. It seems doable. I have heard similar ideas from many others. I read that how we work will change a lot post-pandemic and I suspect that will be true. I also read that higher ed will change a lot over the next several years and we'd better be prepared. I guess that's something I should be spending my work hours taking care of.

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