Setting the alarm for 7

Well, tomorrow the alarm will go off at 7am and I will actually have to stumble out of bed, get myself all psyched up and head off to Hebrew class again. Oh the hardships of being a seminary student. I really do think it's inhumane to offer Introductory Hebrew at 8am. I can barely read forwards at that early hour, let alone backwards.

All my folders are ready and packed away into my backpack. I've read ahead enough to last me until Wednesday's New Testament class. I've practiced the Hebrew alphabet through once or twice again, with only a slight case of letter dyslexia. ("Which way do you write ayin, honey?" I ask as I trace imaginary Hebrew letters in the air with my finger, none of which are even remotely discernable to my poor husband.)

Of course, there are still a lot of books in the "Christmas Reading" pile especially any books that required thinking theologically or otherwise. Really, the Divine Comedy was a bit overambitious at this point... I read quite a few young adult novels, a Christmas novel, a few more pages of Cien Años de Soledad (still chipping away at it), skimmed a few books on women and Christianity that I picked up at the Regent bookstore for criminally low prices, and started more books than I finished, of course. But it was a really good and relaxing break. I don't think that I've been on a break in years where, outside of a week with family, my only responsibility was to pass the time however I saw fit. Or maybe it was a more personal victory, maybe I just haven't let myself be on break without carrying around a weight of "I ought to"s in a long, long time.

I got a strong dose of the sadness of the holiday season this year, the broken, raw reality of family life, indeed any life with other people who are not you. But also a lot of real beauty. I passed my preliminary Canadian Citizenship exam (that is, I played hockey outdoors). I ate a ton of wonderful food. I got to read a ton, just for the sake of reading. I even wrote a little bit (though unfortunately not on this blog).

The best part is, deep down, I feel ready for that alarm to go off in the morning, even if it will be a shock to my system and I'll be tired for a few days as I readjust. Deep down I'm ready for round 2.