Pre-Final Week Stress

Oof. 
Today is the first day of late nights at the office and I'm already beat. Ever since the clocks changed, I have been getting up a few hours before my alarm. I've been trying to take advantage of the extra knitting/reading/coffee/whatever time and today I'm regretting it. An all day cleaning extravaganza right into working late...I'm so tired. 
And why am I feeling MORE stressed than the students? 
I say it every year, and I promise I mean it, but I'll say it again: I love this time of year. I love talking to the students I see all semester long and even ones who only find the library in the last two weeks of semester. I love giving them a break from studying, letting them know someone actually does care if they get sleep or get the grade they wanted on that exam. But this year...I don't know. This year feels different. Maybe it is the stress coming right off of the Thanksgiving holiday straight into final crunch time. Maybe it is working every Saturday for the last seven weeks and knowing that I have at least 4 more to go before Christmas...and hey, it is almost Christmas. How did that happen?

And then to top off the day, a student at Ohio State ran over students with a car and then ran around campus with a knife. I had that sitting in my heart all day. Watching kids come and go, thankful that we weren't stuck inside, hiding from all the windows under our desks. What is happening to our world? My heart weeps for the students that are processing through this difficult situation. 

My head is spinning and I'm falling asleep at the computer. Maybe tomorrow will feel better.