A friend wrote the following to me. She knows me only too well...

Make some plans for recreation, Rhubarb. Giving yourself something fun to look forward to can make even the toughest of times far easier to handle. You'll find it amazing how much you can manage when there's an end in sight. Your entire attitude can lighten, so take the bull by the horns, and create an incentive for yourself. Do something special to reward yourself for the hard work you do day after day.

It's true that I can endure hardship and survive through almost anything, if I have a light at the end of the tunnel (and it's not an oncoming train, thank you). Early years with my mother gave me that ability (or perhaps I was born with it.)

In spite of my innate desire to be irresponsible and lazy, I am consistently a hard worker and very reliable. But some days I yearn to kick over the traces, shake myself loose from the harness, and run free.

Forty-one days.

Fantasy over. Back to work. Where did I put that printout?