Release

from the film "A Knight's Tale":

William: It's not in me to withdraw.

Prince Edward: No. Nor me. Though it happens.

I have - probably left over from all that "character-building" early education - a severe aversion to giving up on things, or withdrawing from anything. Thus, when I had to consider whether to drop a course this week, it led to some intense agonisation. Never mind that it was a course surplus to requirements, never mind that it was crazy amounts of unnecessary work, never mind that trying to get it done probably contributed to me getting sick, never mind that it was preventing me from making progress on my thesis, never mind that I wasn't even really all that interested after being to the first class: I couldn't give up, could I? 

Well, after losing some sleep and probably giving myself a headache (and definitely an incredibly tense jaw), I did give up. And it feels great. 

I sent off the irreversible e-mail a little while ago, and since then I can literally feel my shoulders relaxing with the removal of the figurative weight. Sometimes, I think I just need to learn to let go. 

Maybe even learn not to take on so much in the first place ;)