Too Many Things, Too Little Time

So this blog is off to a slow start. Sure, the turtle wins the race slow and steady, though I don’t know about you, but the rabbit seemed like the guy to root for. He simply didn’t plan it out. Too many expectations, too many goals, too much confidence, and thus, this recipe led to his demise. But he had it. That’s what I believe I did. I have too many hopes, too many ideas, too many priorities to prioritize, and thus, this blog, much like the rabbit, drops out of the race. But I can fix that. Life is all about moderation. From healthy habits to drinking enough water, and having your slice of pie too, (I vote pie over cake anytime), to working to make money, while not jeopardizing valuable time with family and friends, this one word should resonate in your mind like the ringing of Morgan Freeman’s voice in your head after one of his three-hour long movies: moderation, moderation, moderation. But sometimes moderation is hard to find. For example, take a look at a typical day in the life of a student-athlete balancing three AP classes, work, a relationship, college scholarships, family responsibilities, friendships, and nine mile runs daily: aka me. 5:15 am BEEP BEEP BEE-smack. Roll around for a few minutes regaining conscienciousness and whereabouts while struggling to remember that strangely lucid dream you had because you had too much sugar before bed. 5:25 am Roll out of bed, gracefully of course, and stumble out the front door, thankful you put on your gym clothes the night before, else god knows you’d show up to the gym naked before you realized it. 6:15 am Hop off the stair-stepper feeling sweaty and rejuvenated. Caught up on pinterest goals and listened to that one song you downloaded yesterday about three times over because it is just that good. 7:00 am Showered up, lotioned up, and food in hand, it’s time to head out the door for school after involuntarily changing your outfit about two times. The struggle between sweats and pants is real. Everyday. 7:15 am Finally get out the door and drive to school, again listening to that one song and singing at the top of your lungs before you pull into the parking lot and have to regain your “cool.” Admit it, your butt still is wiggling until you hop out of that car. 8:00 am Ah…school. The first class of the day is College Prep English. Analyzing literature through the feminist criticism lens is a wonderful way to start the morning, though let’s be honest, you’re just happy you brought a spoon to eat your oatmeal. Yum. 1:20 pm So much for relaxing. Three AP classes, two honors classes that had projects due, four tests, one pop-quiz and quick mental breakdown in the bathroom later, school is over. From here, the day stretches out into a beautiful array of endless opportunities and wonderful possibilities in which you can catch up on work, takes notes for the next three weeks, go on a walk, or finally read that book you’ve been wanting to read because school is…over… 7:00 pm …What the heck? It’s already dark out. You had time to run, and eat, then sleep because you were so exhausted from running nine miles that you slept right where you fell after your shower and now your hair has dried into a strange, kinky fashion that even Lady Gaga would be jealous of, you realized you have yet to do your four hours of homework. 7:30 pm And so it begins. 10:00 pm Sleep is important. Much more important than AP Statistics notes, so it’s time to prioritize (knowing I have 98% in the class) and head to bed, because hey, you’re a student-athlete and without at least seven hours of sleep, you’ll just be a zombie. This logic fuels my last reserves of energy as I lay out a breakfast for tomorrow and hop into gym clothes before passing out. You can catch up on homework in Physics class. And do it all over again. So where in the world can I fit in the time for a blog? It’s second semester of senior year and I’ve yet to fnd a system that somehow allows me to finish my homework, study, even work ahead while having time to run, and relax. I may preach the ideal of moderation, though I have yet to find it myself. What keeps me going is the fact that this hard work will pay off, and in a matter of a few weeks, I will finalize my fifth-year plans and summer will be right around the corner. Track will take up more time. Work will begin as the weather warms up. Graduation will be right around the corner and school will take first priotity as I try to finish in the Top Ten, and at times, these ambitions feel like they’re too much to handle, but I know, that it’s all for a good reason. It’s a race worth winning and I’m in the lead. Bear with me as this blog takes form. It’s the turtle right now. Slow… but steady. It’s gaining momentum and it’s only going to get better as my adventures begin to open up. So in the mean time, moderation, moderation, moderation. Keep trying to find it.