Shannon Morgan
staff writer
@shannonlacyy

Most of the time it’s not uncommon to hear students discussing their grade point averages like they discuss the weather.

A typical conversation can go from “Hey what’s up?” to “What SAT prep classes are you taking? I need to raise my GPA to get into this college. I have so much homework tonight I barely have time to eat.”

The school year feels like its traveling at breakneck speed because of schedules loaded with homework, studying for standardized tests , fitting in extracurriculars, clubs and tutoring. With an agenda like this, any minor disruption could cause a trainwreck, such as getting sick and missing school. Students will do anything to avoid this.

But by trying to avoid a catastrophe, we are sacrificing our friends, hobbies and free time. While it is definitely important to do well now so you can be successful in the future, there is no guarantee that all this preparation will lead to your ideal future.

You may get lead down a different path than you planned, or encounter an obstacle that you did not expect. With so many factors that you can not control, there is no reason that right now you should to try to have a solid grip on exactly what you want in life.

I think it is hard for a lot of people (including myself) to accept that their “perfect future” could actually be unattainable. Who wants to think of a murky future that could lead to unhappiness and dissatisfaction? It is easier to think of a bright future, with money, success, a family and a big house.

That is why I think it is really important to take time from school and work to do things that interest you. And before you think “school interests me because my future interests me”, I would argue that you have not met anyone who enjoys studying for seven hours a day and then going home and doing three or more hours of homework.

Things that interest you does not necessarily have to mean sitting on your bed and watching Netflix. You could go out and explore a park, a museum or go to a bookstore. Just because you are not going to school does not it cannot be educational. But now there is an added bonus: you are having fun.

A few weekends ago I jumped on the opportunity to go to New York City with my friends. To get the most out of the weekend, we left on a Thursday, which meant I missed some school (a couple of tests, an essay and a few other assignments to be exact).

Despite this, I would never trade the memories and fun I had in New York to be completely caught up on the assignments that I should have done while at school. Even though it was stressful at the time, I think back now to the amazing weekend I had with my friends and would make up 1000 assignments if I had to.

I know that not everyone can just hop on a plane and run away from their problems for a few days, but you should still find time to take a mini vacation from school. Using your energy to worry and stress actually wastes more time because you could be focusing on something productive or relaxing. Take a few moments, or an hour, or a day to smile, laugh or do whatever it is that makes you happy.

In a generation where education is more advanced than it has ever been, kids are trying to balance school, their social life and social media, all while thinking about finding a career that will provide money and security. Don’t let the question marks in life eat away at your happiness. Live now, and let what happens, happen.