There’s a quote that seems to make its way around the internet this time every year, and it goes like this, “February is the shortest month of the year, so if you are having a miserable month, try to schedule it for February.” Another thing that seems to happen this time every year is that I suddenly feel very very busy, all of the time. I’m not sure if it has to do with my growing impatience at the short amount of daylight, or maybe hitting the midpoint of the academic year and becoming overwhelmed with that. But whatever the reason for my lack of time, I think these two things are related. It’s the shortest month of the year, and I can feel it, how little time I have right now. I used to fully subscribe to the attitude presented in that clever little quote: If I’m going to go ahead and write off a month, it might as well be the short one that is sort of miserable already. But then I got to thinking: shouldn’t I try to maximize whatever time I have in front of me?
I've spent a lot of time recently trying to manage time that just doesn't seem to be there to manage. If only there were a little more of it.
So here’s what’s on my mind this year specifically: It’s a leap year. Amidst all the craziness we have been granted an extra 24 hours, the result of the earth taking just a little longer than 365 days to make it around the sun (see, even the world itself has trouble getting things done in a timely manner sometimes). The point is, in my efforts to slow down and not give up on having any large amount of success in this short month, I find leap day a great way to appreciate the time I’ve got.
February has passed by in a blur of homework, studying, midterms, sleepless nights spent working, and trying to figure out when, exactly, I’m supposed to get everything done. Now it’s time to take a step back,
I’m excited for leap day. I know it’s not exactly a holiday or anything, but it feels a bit like one to me right now. A day of extra time, exactly when it is so desperately needed.One of the most enthusiastic characters on television, "Modern Family’s" Phil Dunphy, is a big proponent of leap day, saying once, “You're given this gift of 24 extra hours. You can't waste it at work or school. You have to do something extraordinary.” I agree with him, wholeheartedly on this. One thing everyone always seems to want is more time, and here it is, simply given. The shortest month of the year made just a little bit longer, just enough for us to take pause for a day, and enjoy.
