As I Attempt to Avoid Buckling Under the Stress of it All

Oy.

Really, that's all I can say.

In five days, WG and I take off for another whirlwind tour of the Corral. I'm stoked to be spending our first Christmas together (the past couple of years, we've had our Christmas on New Year's, which has its charms), about waking up next to him on Christmas morning. I'm also starting to feel the sadness at NOT waking up snug in my bed at my parents' house and running downstairs for cinnamon rolls and present opening before dawn.

It's not that I have too much to do, it's that I have BIG, important things to do, like finish editing the novel and get it submitted to the contest with the December 31 deadline. And wrap Christmas presents. And clean my apartment before abanoning it for a week. And get off my bum and exercise (update: the week of concentrating on sitting better and doing my special exercises has already helped my back!).

There are things I can let go...one of them, at least for now, is reading The Second Sex. It sat on my bedside table, glaring at me for weeks, before I finally gave in and returned it from whence it came (uhm, the library).

There are other things that I simply can't abandon -- not see Irene before Christmas? Uhm, no thanks.

So, here's to taking deep breaths and going under a series of rocks as I attempt to cross everything off my list before Friday! Wowza.

Good luck to all of us as we try to finish our Christmas lists!