Revisiting that wonderful feeling

I can think of few feelings that are as wonderful as the one you get when a semester officially comes to an end. I think I've been a little bit in denial the past 11 weeks when I told others (and myself) that school wasn't a huge burden because I had the free time to dedicate to it. I figured that since I finished studying by 9:00 p.m. every day, I wasn't making as big of a sacrifice as most people thought I was. The past month has taught me otherwise, as I struggled more than I ever have to find the motivation to finish that final sprint.

It's been over two years since I've experienced this, but once again I find myself enveloped in that comforting "whoosh" feeling. All you current and former students know what I mean—you feel warm from the inside out as if you've just drunk a mug of delicious hot cocoa, and if it weren't for gravity, you would float away because that iron bar that's been crushing your shoulder blades for weeks has suddenly disappeared.

It's such a good feeling. It almost makes all the suffering worth it.

The feeling gets even better when you realize that there are four complete weeks standing between you and the next semester. By then, I'm sure I'll be ready to jump back into the fire. 

But until then, I'm going to relax, have fun, and enjoy the Christmas spirit. Hard work (after 5:00 p.m., that is) will commence in 2013.