Yes, I titled my blog after Europe’s 1986 hit song: The Final Countdown. 😊

I had a couple of things due this past week: a presentation, paper, and an online test. I was mentally prepared to tackle them and felt confident that I would juggle all my deadlines with ease. However, my plans went south beginning Tuesday 28^th November. My entire family got sick with the stomach bug. My energy got sucked right out of me. Still, I had to play the role of both the caregiver for my children and myself too. I also missed two days of work.

Through the chaos, I still managed to complete a test online obtaining a 19.5 out of a possible 20. I also rocked my presentation. #WINNING! After that remarkable performance, I started thinking about my research paper that was due this past Saturday 2^nd December with a deadline of 5 pm. I was anticipating this paper all semester as it was intriguing and I connected with it. I thought to myself that it would be awful if I presented something mediocre. Due to my sickness, I had to postpone my research and writing to Saturday (Yes! the deadline day!) I figured that I should let my body take a couple of days to get back on track.

On Saturday at 10 am, I mastered the willpower to begin writing this complicated paper. I had to fight with my mind to string words together and ensure the words made sense. Let me tell you, thinking does get difficult when you are sick. At one point I asked myself, “What am I doing?” This meme best describes my mood at that time:

Image: Pinterest

Thanks to a quick Starbucks run for a tall chestnut praline tea, I managed to complete my paper. I read it through and thought it was pretty good. I guess working under pressure is sometimes not a terrible thing. However, I must be honest, I turned in the paper like this on Saturday 4:30 pm:

Image: Scandal

Moral: Expect the unexpected during finals week, but take it with humor, lots of effort and stride!