People are pushing through some heavy loads in these rainy November days, and as a photographer, having to scrawl some words down to fill this space made my teetering to do pile even rockier.
I’d like to apologize to my history professor for being late with everything; late to class, late with assignments, late to apologize for not going to class—I’m sorry. That being said, when I look at how much time I have to dish out and who I serve it up to, I’m not sorry for giving away some class time to the people and the places I love more. Where my time should go and where it ends up going sometimes don’t line-up, but I’m learning to straighten that out, for me.
Everyone is wishing for more time. But I sometimes think that if we ever got our wish, we’d just pack in the busy and ask again for more. The light bulb gave us more time and all we did was fill it with more work and less sleep; 24-hour Stauffer will do the same.
When I lived with my parents in the country, I got up with the sun and I got everything done. Now in university, I lose sleep over due dates and deadlines. We try to do too much because we think we have to do it all. It’s often too much for our time to handle. My time has been spread in so many different directions, I’ve been forced to pull it together and decide: Am I using my time to fulfill my own expectations for myself or for those of others?
As exams creep up, we cram our time full of books and marks and coffee; it’s threw this experience that I have learnt a bit about geography but, thankfully, more about how important it is to take a step back and a deep breath to think about everything else that matters more in my life than a percentage. I used to be the one losing her tears over one mark on one test in one class in one year—it’s just not worth it.
My family and my friends are what I think about the most, and they are highest on my list of where my time should be spent: My job at this newspaper has been my diamond in the rough of higher education. It has earned—and received—more of my time than lecture slots. My health is up there, too; Way far down the list are my marks. I care about education; I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. But why have I spent so much of my life working on and worrying about my grades when they fall so short on my list of what really matters in my life?
After four years at this University, I know some geography, but I also know that it doesn’t really matter whether or not I study that extra hour for a test; but if I don’t spend that hour with my sister on her birthday, I’ll have a crinkle in my brow from a headache of regret. We’re all thinking about marks and careers, but as you’re sitting in the library at 5 a.m. this December, think of your life and what makes it whole, take a nap, get some breakfast and have a chat with a friend. Your success is important; just make sure you have time to share it with someone.
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