Finish Line

     I graduate with a second bachelor's degree in Chemistry on May 12th and I am crawling to the finish line.  What I really need is to be tied to Conan the Barbarian as he forges ahead and drags my limp body behind him.  My journey to that diploma feels like I am walking through waist-deep snow, every step a major effort.  I'm floundering under papers, lab reports, homework assignments and presentations wondering if someone has alerted the lifeguard that I'm drowning.  Given, I don't have a newborn, breast cancer or marital problems so I have no reason to even try to claim that my life is hard right now, but let me just say that for some reason I feel like I'm at max capacity. Can I trade DNA with the Energizer bunny?  That would solve all my problems.
     During the daily treadmill run that is currently my life, there are some lifesavers, music being one of them.  I was listening to my IZ Kamakawa'ole Pandora radio station when I stumbled upon a song that made me stop in the middle of the paper I was writing because it is was so achingly beautiful.  So if you need a sliver of peace in a day that's feeling like Hurricane Katrina, close your eyes and listen to this song.  It will take you to a perfect place.

     Another thing that has saved me is humor.  Those moments when I am not winded from running from academic fire to academic fire, or wondering if this is all worth it, I sometimes get a good laugh.  You would be embarrassed to know how rare those moments seem these days, but I want to give a shout out to both my sister in SLC and to my good friend Dale for showing me the Saturday Night Live skit "The Real Housewives of Disney" which almost made me pee my pants, not to mention the SNL Weekend Update featuring "Paula Deen." If you haven't seen it and laughed-out-loud, you have no soul.  Plus, I'm really blessed to have a hilarious sister, living a block or two away, that has the wonderful talent of making entertainment out of everyday life.  I swear she did a five minute bit on foaming hand soap that still has me laughing when I think about it.
     Lastly, a few lines I've heard my Mom say a million times keep running through my head, "The race is not always to the swift, but to those who finish."  I'm counting on her being right about that, even if I have to roll to the finish line.  My life IS that joke about eating an elephant one bite at a time.  I'm in the binge and purge stage a la Hunger Games, but speaking of finishing and at the risk of being a little media heavy in this post, allow me to link you to one last video that makes me want to keep going because I know I'm not alone.

http://www.godvine.com/What-This-Racer-Does-is-the-Most-Inspirational-Thing-You-ll-Ever-See-1169.html

     In short, I AM going to make it to the finish line, even if I have to hunt down a modern day Conan (who I might hit on, by the way).  These are just a few of the things that are helping me get there:  music, laughing, Mom and God.  If you are struggling through one or two or forty things in your life right now, feel free to use one or all of the above in tandem to get you through.