As I sit back and look at how my life is at this moment, I realize that it is completely full. Life is so busy that being able to balance it all is a chore in itself. Between school, work, school basketball, rep basketball, appointments, managing time with friends, and anything that comes up in the midst of it all, I keep pretty busy. Something that I always try to keep in mind is that I’m still young, and this is the time to enjoy life, no matter what it throws at me. I try to keep an open mind and accept all the challenges that life brings.
School, of course brings all of the many assignments, tests to study for, and universities to think about. It seems that as a grade 12 student, every time I turn around there is another university rep trying to convince me that their school is the best option. I feel that by now I have mastered the simple art of smiling, nodding, and graciously accepting the viewbook from the reps that just won’t let you go past their stand without talking to them. As far as the assignments and tests go, just keeping all the due dates straight is quite a challenge. I have now gotten in the habit of checking all of the homework web pages before I start doing my homework for that night, making sure that I am prioritizing and finishing everything that needs to get done that night and planning for what needs to get done that week. I’ve learned how important it is to stay organized during these busy times, otherwise it’s like travelling without a map, and you’re bound to get lost in it all.
At the moment I only work on weekends, thankfully! My weeks are simply too full to fit in any shifts. Although work is still work, you never know what is going to happen during that 8 hour shift, it’s different every time. Whether it’s the people with the strangest requests and orders, or it is pouring rain outside and you just happen to be the one reaching out the drive-thru window, it’s always full of surprises. The best part of work is that you come home, and you’re done. Unlike school, there is no extra work or assignments, and no tests to study for; you’re done for the day. I truly believe in the saying “If you can’t do what you like, like what you do.” I’m a high school student, which pretty much means the bottom of the food chain when it comes to work; I’m not expecting to have the job of my dreams already, so why not make the best of it? Anything can be fun; you just have to choose to make it happen.
And then there’s basketball. I could go on for hours about this game. It’s what I do; it’s what I love. I’ve loved it since the day I started playing. The best thing about basketball is that some of the girls that I’ve played with, or still play with are no longer just teammates, their some of my best friends. You need that on a team. Because of the competitiveness and drama that playing sports can bring, you need other people on the team that you can talk to and just have a good time with. School basketball often means missing class time for games and tournaments. It can become quite a challenge trying to catch up on missed assignments, quizzes and tests, as well as information and lessons that are explained during class. Rep basketball brings the challenges of trying to complete all of your homework for that night before heading out to a two hour practice, as well as making time for weekend tournaments and remembering to book time off work. No matter how busy life gets, it is so important that we make time for the things that we love doing. I know that a career in basketball is not in my future, and so some people may wonder where all of the commitment, hard work and dedication is getting me, but I think that it has already gotten me further than they can realize. Basketball has taught me so many life lessons and truly helped me grow and mature as a person over the years. It has helped me to find myself and make some pretty amazing friends along the way.
Spending time with friends is something else that is extremely important to me. Friends really do make life better. They are the people that you can spend hours with, laughing about absolutely nothing and having a great time! They are also the people that are there for you through the good times and the bad, and can help you get right back to where you need to be. I couldn’t imagine life without friends; it would simply be too boring without them.
For me, I find that taking some time alone to think through it all is so important in my daily life. Even though I spend half my time playing basketball these days, there is nothing more relaxing than going out to my backyard court and just shooting around. I do some of my best thinking there, although I’m not completely sure why. Perhaps it’s the combination of all the wonderful outdoor sounds with the fact that I’m doing something I love, minus all the pressures that being inside a gym brings.
The truth is, life is exciting. It is full of new experiences and opportunities that present themselves to us every day. As a grade 12 student, it is so easy to spend all of our time focused on the future and planning what you’re going to do NEXT year that we forget that we need to live THIS year first. Why not take time to enjoy what’s already right in front of us? The end of the year will come soon enough, so let’s make it last!
