That's how I felt after turning in my term papers. After weeks of writing accompanied by a horrible bout of illness and jet lag, I pushed the submit button and celebrated with a weekend comprised of pizza in bed and a Skins marathon.
And then I just became stir-crazy. The days flicked by, the nights came quicker, and conversations felt like white noise. I had wrapped up what is bar-none one of the busiest months of my entire life, and suddenly my room felt more like a cave with a big boulder blocking the door. I built up a grudge with my surroundings during my weeks of trudging from the library, to Nandos, to sleep, up again in the morning to do it all again. It became a bit lather, rinse, repeat - if you will.
I desperately needed to re-charge my batteries and re-fall in love with my city.
In true British fashion, it began with a pot of tea.
After weeks of being apart, I met with Sara at our spot like the little old grannies we are to catch up on life and discuss a plan of action for a local adventure during the following days. We may be able to venture to an island for a daycation or bus-hop around the English countryside like it's no big, but exploring new sights of Bristol took some effort (okay, some Google-ing). Wanting to go beyond the city center and harbourside, we scanned the pages of Pinterest in search of something new within Bristol city limits.
After getting our fill of the best cream tea around and mapping out our plan for the following day, we strolled up to Brandon Hill to catch the sunset and walk off about half a bite of a scone. The crisp air and golden light instantly made me feel a little lighter. I had been up to Brandon Hill and Cabot Tower countless times when I first moved to Bristol - it's a great place for a run or to take in the skyline. When winter rolled in, I stopped going because my gym was a lot warmer and I felt like I had seen all that it offered. Something about returning here with all the weight off my shoulders and the deadlines gone made me see it through a whole new set of lenses. The grass was greener, the skyline was more colorful, the people walking their dogs more cheerful. "Has that building always been there?"
It's funny how we let stress cloud up happy, everyday things that are right in front of us. Rub your eyes, splash some water on your face, and get out there.
Has anyone else been in a funk lately? How do you work on pulling yourself out? Is it just the wintertime/post-holiday blues?
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