Almost Finished

The further away I get from this semester, the lighter I feel. I took my Spanish final yesterday and am hoping I did well enough to pass the exam and the class. I spoke to other classmates who were also just hoping to pass the class. I am not alone in merely wanting to get through that requirement as opposed to using it to pad my GPA. I still have to finish writing my history final. Will hand that in today.

I got together with some of my Sociology 465 classmates last night. The professor, Dr. Jones, was also there. It was a great time of sharing memories and laughter. I wish all classes could end that way. It's good to download and reflect.

Now I can switch my focus to my family. My divorce will be final on 12/17. That has been a rough journey as anyone who has been divorced knows. But that's a whole 'nother blog entirely. All I have to say about that is that I have been through hell and I am still standing. And in May, I will be walking across that stage to get my degree. So, bully for him!

On to more important things - downloading from this semester. I always take time to reflect on the semester just past and look at the lessons I've learned. As I ponder this semester, the following comes to mind:
1. Don't neglect homework! I would have done better in Spanish if I would have taken the class more seriously and spent time learning the material instead of trying to breeze through it.
2. Hard work is good. My Sociology class was rough because of the group project. We worked hard and learned a great deal. Many of my classmates have said the same thing.
3. Take time to relax. My stress level would have been less if I would have taken time to relax now and again and laugh more often.
4. Take advantage of extra credit, guest speakers, etc. These opportunities make for a richer education experience.
5. Don't take yourself too seriously. It is good to be a serious student, but being too serious leads to banality.

When I was a junior in high school, I took an advanced biology course. One of the things the teacher pounded into us was, "Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny". Translation: species reproduce themselves. I have tweaked that phrase a bit. My take on it is, "Anality recapitulates banality." Translation: If you take yourself too seriously, you become irrelevant to everyone else but yourself.

So, in honor of my semester being almost finished, I lift high a pint of Blue Moon and say, "Cheers!". Stay tuned . . .