It’s such a downer when I write about how stressed I am because of school. I’ve been back in school for three years now, and juggling that, along with work and the 100 other things I try to do is simply exhausting. I’m a bit burned out. But I’m only three classes from graduating, so I will continue to plug along until I either finish, or marry an independently wealthy Baptist minister. If that happens, I’m going to QUIT school and become a “lady who lunches.” Keep your fingers crossed, please.
This week was particularly stressful after I realized I will have two 20-page papers due the same week in April, a deadline that is furiously approaching. The panic started to build up to near intolerable levels, until I found my new coping mechanism. Some people take up smoking, or drinking, or hard living.
I’ve taken up Taylor Swift.
On my way to and from class, when I’m having a particularly stressful day, I roll down my windows in my car and belt out Taylor Swift songs at the top of my lungs. Usually I include hand motions and fist pumps through my sunroof. For a few minutes, I forget my deadlines and become Rock Star Bethe. It’s fantastic. And freeing.
I swear I sound just like her. But just like Cinderella, whose coach turned into a pumpkin at midnight, the minute I leave my car I go back to being tone-deaf and untalented. If you want to see a show, I guess you’ll have to hitch a ride!