Midterms might be worse than finals. Four midterm assignments within four days is not healthy by any extent and my stress seeped into every aspect of my life. I ate the worst the dining hall had to offer. I'm not ashamed to admit that I ate upwards of ten Frank cookies last week and way more french fries than I could count. Midterms left my room in shambles—papers all over the ground, bags of popcorn left half eaten on nightstands, and clothes haphazardly tossed around as I tried my best to do laundry and pack for spring break. Midterms made me tired, too. Really tired. Losing sleep was probably the biggest travesty of all.
The classic small-talk question, "what are you doing for spring break," became my favorite one. While many people jokingly answer "sleeping," I mean it.
Stage 1: Gaining Freedom
I slam the door shut on my 8 by 10 room and all the misery within it. Goodbye, piles of paper. Goodbye, lone dirty sock. Goodbye, dorm room bed. I can't say I'll miss your sheets, the blue scratchy ones that I often fail to wash. I won't miss struggling to jump into your lofted height. I definitely won't miss your "mattress pad"—the tiny inch of egg crate trying to provide some sort of comfort. I can still feel the hard mattress below, the one that thirty college students have slept on (and done who knows what else on) before me.
Stage 2: The Path Home
I hit the road at 5 o'clock, just twenty minutes after handing in my last midterm. After finishing an assignment and running across campus to hand it in, adrenaline is still pumping through me. I skip the drive-thru Dunkin' where I usually get an iced coffee for the road.
Thirty minutes into my drive, I realize just how bad that decision was. The drive from rural New York to Vermont is a boring one. The clouds look like pillows, the sunset sky looks like the color of room at home. I try to resist sleep, knowing that my bed will greet me on the other side of the journey.
Stage 3: Home at Last
As I roll into the parking spot in front of my house, I think about everything that is inside. My warm living room and comfortable couches, my bed, my cute dog who I haven't seen in months, my sisters, my bed, my family, good food and my bed.
I greet my family with hugs, by my mind is elsewhere. Will my bed have my favorite plush pillow on it? Do I still have my favorite stuffed animal here or did I bring it to school? Did my mom make my bed for me as a surprise?
I end up going to bed three hours earlier than I had the night before.
Stage 4: Relaxation
We all know how this goes. The first few days of spring break are spent sleeping in, trying to forget what that dorm bed felt like. My parents peek in every few hours, wondering if I'm still alive.
At this point, I can't even be sure. I float somewhere between asleep and awake. I fall asleep every few episodes of Netflix, somehow able to pick up right where I left off. I leave the comfort of my room for necessities—food, sleep and bathroom breaks. There are no signs of bedsores yet, so I think I'm in the clear to spend the rest of the week like this.
I could spend the rest of my life here with no problem at all.
Stage 5: Everything Else
When I finally emerge from the confines of my room, I'm still in a dream state. Spending time with friends is eating, watching movies and sitting on couches. Vacation is lying on beaches, reading, eating and sleeping.
Even though my spring break is a lazy one, I wouldn't change it for anything else. I'm still drained from the daily routine of life at college. I need a little (or a lot) R & R. I'll return to a "normal" sleep schedule when I have to.
