Imagine five days of absolute freedom. No assignments, no obligations, no controversy--just you and your friends and your family and existence.

Now imagine five days with a little bit less freedom. A few assignments, a couple family obligations, some arguments about your political views--nothing too bad.

Now imagine five days with a little bit less freedom than that. Here we have Thanksgiving break.

It falls into that awkward middle ground of school and no school, with only a couple weeks left of the latter. So while professors try to cram all the information they realized they don't have time to teach, we have to go home to all the stresses and drama of family time.

Thank you, whoever scheduled holidays. You did a great job.

My break this year consisted of me picking up my best friend from the Austin airport (since I live here I am now the designated airport chauffeur among my friends and family); going home (which I do too often anyway); eating a lot of food; seeing my friends; and cramming all the homework I neglected into one day.

And it was actually pretty great.

Getting back to late nights at Whataburger with the people who really know me is what I craved, and I got plenty of it. I got to see so many friends that I hadn't seen in months and got to reunite them with the friends I have the pleasure of seeing often.

I got to have a lunch of some of the best foods known to man, and some disgusting ones that I regret trying.

And I got to experience the stress of getting 5 days' worth of work done in only 7 hours. It was a dream come true.

So thank you, Thanksgiving. Thanks for the happiness you indirectly gave me and for the opportunity to get a taste of what I'm going to have again in a couple weeks--a reunion with so many things and people that I genuinely love.

It's a little sad that days off are the days that are happiest, but it also makes sense. School isn't really anyone's passion (as far as I know), and even though I love learning, adventuring far surpasses anything I'd do for class (unless I was adventuring for class, which is basically every journalism assignment this semester).

Thank you, Thanksgiving, for giving my professors a reason to push back deadlines. Thank you for the little victories that you let me have this year.

Yes, I'm ranting a lot, but there's a reason. One of the things I put off in order to hang out with my friends was writing this article. I think it was worth it.