Thank you Punxsutawney Phil. You predicted six more weeks of winter and you nailed it. Snow, sleet, ice, freezing temperatures -- arriving right on schedule according to your brilliant prognostication.
It's not that I'm in love with winter, but I do appreciate what comes along with it: Snow days, guilt-free, lazy no-school days. Days when you can kick back, relax and do anything you want and in my case, that's pretty close to nothing at all.
It's not that I am lazy. In fact, I consider myself to be pretty busy, engaged in some sort of activity most of the time. Being a 14-year-old, that's the way it is for me and for most of my friends these days. Between school, after-school activities like sports or community service, and homework, I'm lucky if I can find any time to just hang out with my family and friends.
I'm not complaining because I love doing everything that I have to do, except maybe the homework. But there are times, like during a snow day, when it feels really good to do not have to do anything or be anywhere. There's definitely something to be said about not being on a schedule.
But how much of a schedule is too much? There are a few signs that can tell you if you are over-scheduled, but the most important is probably your gut feeling -- and I mean that literally.
Once this past year, I realized I had way too much going on -- concert, paper, test, competition -- the pressure and stress of it all made me feel sick to my stomach. I couldn't eat or sleep. And trying to do it all on not enough sleep made matters even worse. I was clearly on edge and anxious.
I decided I couldn't do it all so, at the urging of my parents, I chose to do a couple of them and let the rest go. Instantly, I felt a sense of relief. This way, I was able to concentrate on the activities I deemed the most important to me. I could now completely enjoy them and do the best work I could on a couple them rather than trying to do all of them and not doing well, or even enjoying, any of them.
Being an over-scheduled teen today is not uncommon but it is something that we, as teens, need to be aware of, for the sake of our health and for our sanity. Take time for yourself to do the things you love or sometimes to just not do anything at all.
Snow hats off to Punxsutawney Phil and more winter weather!
Peace Love Profits,
Blake