This summer, I'm working full time at a daycare/preschool associated with the College of Education and Health Sciences at the University of Dayton. Though this may seem like a tall order initially, I have actually found that I have a lot more free time on my hands these days. When I was in school, I had classes full time. On top of that, however, I also had organization meetings, an internship, a part time job and of course homework. I felt like I couldn't breathe. My entire week was scheduled down to 15-minute increments, and by the end of the school year, I was exhausted.
Working full-time, in this sense, obviously felt like a breath of fresh air because I don't have very many other obligations on top of it. Although I fill up a lot of my free time just by catching up with friends, I still have a lot of free-time left to just myself. Initially, this added free-time felt very foreign to me, and I honestly wasn't sure what I was going to do myself.
For the first week or so of summer break, when I would get home from work, I'd find myself actually feeling bored. This, of course, was a very strange sensation. I hadn't felt truly "bored" in so long. I found myself laying in bed, catching up on sleep, and endlessly scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed. Needless to say, I felt extremely unproductive. Quickly, I started kicking myself.
Wait a minute- I had had so few opportunities for free time while I was back in school that I practically found myself pulling my hair out of my head. Why in the world wasn't I taking advantage of it now that I finally had some? After all, time is such a luxury and I was finally fortunate enough to have it. I suppose I needed the time to rest and be lazy after such a tumultuous semester. But after a week or so of lying around, I decided to get busy.
I quickly realized that there is no excuse for me to say, "I'm bored," this summer, because I always have the opportunity to do something that I enjoy doing. I finished a book the other day- the first book I had read for fun in months- and I finished it in literally 3 days. I've started to meditate for longer periods of time and more frequently- as a result, I feel more relaxed at night time and more focused during the day. I've begun to slowly explore my spirituality in a way that I was previously neglecting. I'm all caught up on Netflix shows that have taken me forever to finish, like Shameless and Riverdale. I even planted flowers a few weeks ago.
Of course, these are just a few things I've already done- I still have a lot more to do. Like check out some comedy specials on Netflix and a few series' I've always wanted to see, like Dear White People. I want to take my dog on more walks and spend time with him now that he's getting older. I want to visit museums and festivals, and definitely the aquarium. Maybe even the zoo. Of course my body could definitely use some more work outs, and I think I'd appreciate a good hike.
Bottom line is, I don't plan on neglecting the possibilities of all that I can do with this glorious free time I have. After all, we live in a very fast-paced world, and I think it's important that I take my time and enjoy life when it slows down a bit.
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