It’s February.

This is a pretty obvious statement but I can’t remember the last time I wrote a blog post.  Every month since I last checked-in, I thought “I have to write a post on the Olin blog,” and each month something came up and at the most inconvenient time (typically driving) I would think, “Darn! I forgot to update the blog!”

Now those “somethings” that served as barriers to writing can also be referred to as life and perhaps be more forgiving.  Life kept coming up: dinner with friends, lectures at the art museum, yoga, and more often than I care to admit, a late night at work.  These moments have kept me from connecting with others, writing on this blog, calling my mother (hi, mom!) and keeping in touch with my friends.

For the past two years, I have felt that I am constantly responsive to the Olin schedule.  This isn’t a compliant in the slightest, it’s what happens when you operate in a “just-get-me-through-the-day, week, project, test” etc.  We all fall victim to the “just get me through…” mantra.  We don’t slow down and when we do we realize that it’s FEBRUARY and we’re just catching up on things we meant to do in September.

But then I remember that we keep adding things to our list and that time does not slow down.  It’s quite an experience trying to gain control of a situation where you feel so powerless.  But somewhere along the road, you find a balance that you are okay with.  It feels like a push-pull system that will always be off balance but you figure out how to be okay with it.

Turner’s and my Olin experience is almost over, which is crazy to reflect upon.  Olin has challenged our relationship in so many ways but it has also brought so much good.  I stopped fighting the process and encouraged him to embrace all that business school has to offer because two years goes by so quickly.  We both acknowledged that we were in a place in our relationship for business school to become a priority.

This weekend, for example, he’s in a weekend class which ends tonight (Sunday) at 6pm where he will then go to a group meeting from 6-8p and another from 8-10p.  And this isn’t his only weekend class.  Additionally, he’s auditing a class on top of his regular classes and TA-ing for a Modeling course.  He’s typically not home until 9 or 10 each weekday night, falling asleep or going to do homework when he gets back.

But with all of the time he spends with Olin activities, he also has a flexible schedule.  We have been able to share afternoon dog-walking chores, can meet for breakfast or lunch together, and the best perk of going back to school: winter, spring, summer break.  We both acknowledge that we should take full advantage of this time, too, because the ability to get up and go will also change after Olin.

At the end of the day, I don’t know that we have found balance in our schedules but we have found acceptance and know that the Olin experience passes quickly and it would be a shame to not embrace it for all that it has to offer.  We have also figured out how to quit that world and reconnect with others that we have neglected over the past few months, too.  This will change soon, too, but for now, we are embracing the experience.

 Photo credit: antefixus21 and  Karen Horton, Flickr