Phew! This school term is finally over, and I could not be more relieved. Don't get me wrong, it was great fun; I met a lot of new and interesting people and gained a lot of practical experience. However, there is one thing that regrettably took a back-burner over the past few months: my marriage. It is becoming increasingly more difficult to balance the different areas of my life, as I become more involved in school and make new friends. This term alone I probably clocked about fifty hours per week on campus, working on projects and attending classes and meetings. When I was home I was usually in decompress mode, meaning that I would immediately veg out by tinkering around online or by watching movies/television (much like I'm doing now).
The truth is, marriage is work. It's fun work, but work all the same. Christopher is a wonderful, supportive husband, and he does a great job of keeping me in check when I start to lose my mind, but I have to be careful not to take him for granted. There are things that I might not want to do, but that I have to do as a symbol of my commitment to making us work (i.e., doing the dishes, even when I'm exhausted; scooping the litterbox from time to time; and/or stepping away from an important email, because Christopher wants to tell me a story from his day). All of these things are, of course, totally worth it in the long run. He and I are committed to each other forever, and, to quote one of my favorite movies, "forever is an awfully long time." Truth is, I love the guy. That's all I really need to remember. I'm happy when he's happy, and vise versa.
So, I fully intend on spending the next week and a half spending time with him. My hope is to do some serious hiking, cooking, and cleaning over the break, while simultaneously helping a good friend find a new "boy toy." Next term will come soon, so my time is limited to get my priorities back in check. Next term I am taking three courses, working as a peer advisor for the psychology department, acting as vice president for the psychology club, and hopefully working as a TA for one of my professors from this term. That being said, the end is in sight (I should graduate in December 2010), and Christopher will be around long after my career as a student has ended. My marriage needs to be priority number one. For those of you who know me, please make sure I remember that fact when my head starts spinning around from all of my other responsibilities. I thank you in advance.
