Breaking into summer

This is the rhythm of summer break: 

First c0mes the scramble to finish tasks--submitting grades, attending final meetings, assembling assessment reports--while the interlibrary loan books pile up unread amid the flurry of activity.

Then a week of fitful sleep and grumpiness as body and mind adjust to the new, loose schedule and sudden absence of pressing deadlines. I plant some flowers, do some mowing, grab a book but can't seem to focus on any one task for more than a few minutes.

Then one day I find myself so immersed in a book that I forget to eat supper, my mind bubbling with ways to incorporate these new ideas into my research and writing, and when I put the book down I can finally see the long summer break stretching before me, offering both obligations and recreation but also a chance to follow a network of ideas through a variety of texts and spend long hours writing it all down for my next big project.

It takes some time and a little stress to work through the transition, but now that I've shifted my focus from what has just passed to what lies ahead, I'm definitely liking what I see. It's time to let the good times roll.