-
Morgan Burnett
In one day, how many of the 86,400 seconds do you waste? Cody Johnson, the country singer, said it best in the song ‘Til You Can’t”: “Don’t wait on tomorrow, because tomorrow may not show.” Even though we hear “life is short,” most of us still manage to waste way too much time.”
It’s always “I wish I would’ve...” or “if I would’ve done...” We can all relate to this in one way or another.
I asked students at North Hopkins, “When was a time you wasted, and would you do anything differently?”
One student who wanted to remain anonymous explained, “I wasted a lot of time hating on everything and everyone. Most days, I'd spend a lot of time in my room, distancing myself. While everyone was watching a movie in the living room, I stayed away. Doing so caused my relationship with some of them to fail. It made me feel terrible, knowing that we could have got along happily. If I could, I would have spent a lot more time with them before they all just suddenly disappeared,” going off to college and moving away.
“I thought I was wasting a lot of time at my little brother's Little Dribblers games,” said junior Carson Mathis. “I just don't really like watching little kids play basketball; it just doesn't catch my interest because they never listen, and they do what they want to. Another thing is they just run around like chickens with their heads cut off, so I thought it was a waste of my time. Now, I feel like I should have to enjoy it more, because you never know when it’s going to be your last time with your siblings.”
Another anonymous student related this story: “When I had to quit baseball at my old school, it was very painful; I was hurting, and I cried. I felt like I let so many people down, not just my team. So, I stopped taking care of myself. Before I started baseball again, I wasted a lot of time by not taking care of my body and I wish I would have. I'm now having to start over because I didn't care to take care of myself. If I would not have been dumb and I would have taken care of my body, I could’ve used that time to get so much stronger.”
Yet another anonymous student noted, “It was the first day of school and I was dreading going. I dragged my feet all throughout the house. I took an hour and a half shower just waiting for an excuse not to go to school. I figured maybe if I took too long, it would be too late, and I wouldn't have to go. I wish I didn't do that; I was late to school, struggled to find my classes, and I was very unprepared mentally. I was frustrated, confused, and angry.”
We can all take what these students have said to heart. Learning by example can save us a lot of heartache. Let’s use our time more wisely and enjoy the little moments in life.