It's that time of the semester. The temperature is dropping, and unfortunately so are the grades. Schoolwork gets piled on in an endless stream that inevitably turns into a massive river that you cannot seem to climb out from. Although the mindless work progresses the semester along, there are so many other things I would rather be doing instead of my schoolwork, and here are the top six things I would rather be doing with my precious, youthful time.
1. Relaxing and painting instead of scribbling notes.
Painting is an activity that always lets me calm down and relax after a long day or I often paint when I’m looking to be content. This is definitely something I would rather be doing instead of furiously writing down paragraphs of notes in the middle of class and feeling my stress level rise each time the professor changes the slide before I am done writing my note.
2. Taking a stroll instead of rushing to class.
Especially now that the weather is changing and it is actually understandable to be outside, I love taking my time with my movements. Casually strolling around campus or to other areas of Downtown is such a pleasant and leisurely activity. My unfortunate reality, however, is that I am forced to rush to class and unbelievably generate sweat as I jog across campus to make it to my next class on time. I never get the time to smell the roses.
3. Taking a nap instead of drifting off in class.
Maybe it’s true that teenagers and college students like to sleep a lot. I know that I sure do love the option of waking up naturally instead of to dozens of blaring alarms trying to wake me up at the crack of dawn. So of course I would rather be napping on a comfortable couch or the nice soft mattress of my own bed.
Unfortunately, my reality is that I drift off in class, usually during the most important lectures and inadvertently drooling all over my notes. Then, of course, I quickly make sure no one is staring at me (specifically the professor) and then I promptly close my eyes again.
4. Having a night with my friends instead of textbooks.
Most all college students are known for is their connected friendships and going out at nights. Truth be told, I do not get out much myself, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to be able to hang out with my friends when I want or go do things when I want to.
As much as I want to have my own free will of choosing when to go out, I am usually glued to my textbooks and notes. I don’t really have a choice when I either have a test, a project, a quiz or presentations to give on a daily basis. Where did my time go? Oh, it went straight into my notebook.
5. Taking real photographs instead of screenshots of study guides.
I have a passion for photography and I know that it is something that I want to do one day professionally. I take pictures as often as I can, but during the school year my favorite activity is basically put on hold. Instead of snapping photos of wildlife and scenery, I am taking screenshots of my classmate’s study guide for one of the numerous tests that is coming up soon.
Do you think that I enjoy having my smartphone’s camera roll be filled with white images of notes and study guides? Of course not! I live for the breaks and months off I get from school so that I can get some real, colorful and enjoyable images back on my camera roll.
6. Enjoy nature instead of confining myself in a study cubicle in the library.
Even though I don’t always enjoy being outside, fall is my favorite time of year. The autumn months make me so happy and gives me a fresh start each time a cool breeze blows down more leaves from the trees. It’s the perfect time to grab a hot chocolate from the nearest coffee shop, sit on a bench outside and read that book that’s been calling your name.
But alas, I get shoved inside a freezing building that barely produces even a whisper. Instead of beautiful changing leaf colors, I see four beige walls and the glares of thousands of laptop screens. Instead of the rushing sound of water or the chirping of birds, I hear the whirring of gears that is associated with the endless stream of printed papers.
The fall semester is a time of buckling down and heavy classes, so of course there are so many things that I would rather be doing than what I am purposefully in school to do. It is countless how many times I have thought about doing other things and being elsewhere rather than in the dull classroom I would be in at the time.
Maybe one day I’ll have the courage to say the popular saying, “Life is short, so do what you love while you can” and then actually go and do what I want to do. Maybe one day I’ll wake up naturally instead of suddenly or maybe I will get to take my time walking for once. I just know that there are so many things I would rather be doing than working on school work.