Finding the right balance between friends, family, school, and work could be hard. (Hans Splinter/Flickr Creative Commons)
One thing that I find pretty difficult as a commuter, and I’m sure most residents can understand this as well, is finding the right balance. Though I’ve had over half a semester now to get this right, I’m still struggling with finding enough time for the things I love, like my friends and family, amidst all my responsibilities. I feel like driving 10hours a week to and from school doesn’t make this easier, but residents do face some problems that I don’t. Even though I don’t spend much time with my family due to everyone’s schedules, I still come home and see them every night. I miss out on pizza night and any volleyball games, but I still at least see them. My sister even wakes up early so we can talk while I prepare my lunch.
I think anyone can understand, though, the feelings of what you’re used to just slipping away. It’s my second year in college so I should have grasped this concept already, but I still find myself fighting it. In between writing papers and preparing presentations, I want to just stop and watch a football game with my brother. Or I want to go out to eat with a friend, even though I know I won’t be home until late and still need to get up in the morning. Having responsibilities is tough. Even though it’s year two of this lifestyle, I still haven’t found the right balance of school, interning, friends, family and just plain old “me” time. When was the last time I just sat down and wrote something just because I wanted to? Well, I guess right now, but even this is just another responsibility. I love writing, but this is a task I have to do every week by Sunday night.
But really, when was the last time I sat down to read a book? Or just went to the local library to look? When was the last time I went shopping with my friends at the thrift store? When was the last time I just went on an adventure, with no real plan in mind except to explore? When was the last time I created something, or tried something new, or made a stand? When is the next time I will have time for this?
I don’t want to spend my college life always chasing after my responsibilites. I’m the type of person that never misses work unless I’m sick, and the same pretty much goes for school, but there’s gotta be some free time where I can just be myself with people I love. I can’t even find time to Snapchat most of them, but I want to start making time to see them. I want to start finding that balance and spending time with my family. I want to take a little time each week and devote it to something I love doing, not something I have to do.
What would this life look like for you? If you’re a normal college student that doesn’t really care about going to class or getting assignments done, then you probably have a good idea of what a life of doing what you want looks like. But for those of you whose lives are spent in a strict schedule, what would it look like if you took some time and did what you wanted for a change?
Hannah Desrosiers is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at hannah.desrosiers@uconn.edu.
