Springtime has me flirting with failure

By Wendy Gillis

The bright sun beams through the window, mocking me with its promise of a warm, satisfying embrace — the kind that can only come after a long absence — if only I'd step outside.

The gentle breeze whispers balmy sweet nothings through the screen, blowing the hair from my face and gently tucking it behind my ear.
 
All the while, I sit trapped in my stuffy apartment, chained to my laptop, staring lustfully outside.

You see, Spring has been seducing me. While it summons tulips and perfumes the air without a care in the world, I have been rejecting its advances with the tepid prowess of an ice queen.

It's not that I'm not interested. I like to frolic in the grass and take long walks on the beach as much as the next girl. And don't even get me started on beers on the patio.

It's just that, well, I'm coming out of a relationship.

It started in September and has been sucking up all my time ever since. I give and give and give, and I feel like I get nothing but stress and anxiety. I'm constantly being tested, evaluated. Ever since Grad School became my steady, nothing's been the same.

But wait! I'm trying to end it for a while, you know, take a break — at least for you, Summer. It's just that... it's complicated. 

There's all these loose ends like assignments and groups projects that need tying up before I go. Deadlines will loom like grey skies over April until I hand in the final assignment of my first year on the 20th. And things could get really messy if I don't write that major project proposal or meet with my advisor. I want a nice, clean break, and I still want to be friends.

So please, Spring, stop with the flirting. It's nothing personal, it's just not a good time for me, is all.

It's not you, it's my degree.

Wendy Gillis is a student in the Ryerson Master of Journalism program and a former editor in chief at the Sheaf, the student newspaper at the University of Saskatchewan.