Last week, my boss and the Resident Life Coordinator of Hope College, asked me, "Hannah, are you even having fun?" My response was a pitiful and sad "No."
Let me preface this; as a part of our bi-weekly meetings, my boss checks in with me to see how I'm handling my duties as a Residential Assistant with my responsibilities as a student. I had just told her that I was applying for the co-Editor in Chief position for Hope's student-run newspaper, The Anchor. This would be on top of my already existent Odyssey, RA, sorority and editor (I already work for The Anchor as a section editor) obligations. Don't get me wrong, I love all of these extracurriculars, and I juggle all of them with ease, but the problem is, I put myself last.
Before starting college, I had made a game plan: I was going to get involved in extracurriculars that would provide with real-world experience and material for my resume and cover letter. Mission accomplished. However, none of these opportunities, besides being in a sorority provide me with fun. A bulk of the time, I'm sitting at my computer doing on paperwork or homework, going to a meeting and doing research, while the rest of my friends are hammocking in the Pine Grove, taking excursions to the beach, going on midnight donut runs, spending a day in Grand Rapids, etc. I'm envious of their fun.
College is described as the "best four years of your life," well, I'm almost done with my second year. Your 20s are described as the "best 10 years of your life," well, I'm almost done with my first year. Of course, there is time to remedy the situation -- there really is, but it requires action. To be honest, though, I'm not about to drop my extracurriculars; I like them and the people involved in them too much. This also doesn't mean that I'm going to let my academics tank. What this means is I'm going to make the time to have fun. I'm going to initiate activities for myself and friends to do. If I wait for my friends to initiate an activity, I might not be available. Of course, there's a chance my friends won't be available to hang out with me when the time presents itself. The solution is, I'll go by myself. Having fun does not solely depend on the presence of another. And you don't have to go rock climbing to have fun either, but I'll admit that is on my list. I can have fun with painting, baking, going to the beach and hammocking all by myself.
As cliche as it sounds, life is too short to waste it away, concerned only with business and how to get ahead in life. What really adds the zest in life are those things you do for yourself, the adventures you take by yourself or with friends, those memories that you will cherish for years to come, and you can look back at them fondly and say, "yeah, I had fun."
