There is something slightly off about watching autumn leaves blow in the wind in 75-degree weather.

I know that if the groundhog sees his shadow, spring will come early, but it seems that this year, the hog didn’t even have a chance to emerge from his hole before spring sprung on us all.

The past few days of warmth have me feeling conflicted.

On one hand, I’ve really enjoyed the freedom that warmer weather brings. No coat, no gloves, no problem. This past weekend was filled with a bike ride and tossing the football around – both normal activities for fall. Yet instead of donning a windbreaker, I put on a T-shirt. Wacky stuff for the beginning of November.

But I also miss the cold. I find myself yearning for the picturesque “sweater weather” that so many Instagram influencers post about. I miss walks in the brisk cold that make your face sting, but in a good way.

I think this weather is a perfect analogy for how I feel right now. I feel mixed up. I feel conflicted.

On the one hand, I want to stay where I am. I want to enjoy time with my friends. I want to enjoy the fall beauty in Goshen before it’s gone.

So I feel almost guilty in wishing for the next two weeks to speed past so I can enjoy the upcoming break.

But yet, I’m so tired of this semester and the wide assortment of stressors it has brought.

My perfect stress cocktail has been a mix of COVID-19 and deadlines shaken together, and election week to salt the rim.

Oh ho ho ho. It was election week that really did me in.

To limit stress, I didn’t look at any results on the day of, but rather waited till the next morning.

So as soon as I woke up on Wednesday, I typed “Electoral College map” on my iPhone.

That was a mistake. As soon as the miniature blue and red map popped up on the screen, it felt like a floodgate of tension had been unleashed upon my body.

Over the next several days, all  I could think about was the vote counting and what would follow.

Now the election is mostly over, but the tension has stayed in both my body and America.

But unlike my shoulders, it’s going to take more than a few yoga sessions to relieve the stress of this nation.

There is so much going on right now, so I’ve decided I don’t need to feel guilty for wanting to go home.

If the break is something I can look forward to so I can power through the last leg of school, then so be it.

With so much stress, I think we could all use a break.

Especially a 50-day one.