Live Free

It's that time of year again... the week before break.  Everyone's trying to cram everything in last minute, teachers are going overboard on homework, tests, and assignments, and everyone's having a hard time focusing.  Sitting in the classroom, all you can think about is breaking free.  Your mind is everywhere but on the teacher's topic, and you can feel the stress building as your to-do list gets longer and longer.  Break seems so close, but so far away.

It's midnight the night before a project is due.  You thought you'd be done two hours ago, but nothing is going the way you planned.  You have two additional tests to study for and math homework to finish up.  It seems like you'll never get any sleep.  Everyone else went to bed hours ago.  But you?  You're fighting to finish the presentation.

Progress reports went out last week and your averages aren't exactly up to par.  Your parents never usually get onto you about grades, but you can tell they're getting nervous.  You're doing everything in your power to raise that average, but the roadblocks keep popping up.  You're making a huge effort to make this year different, to finally feel like you've accomplished something at school, but nobody seems to notice.

Sometimes, it's okay to admit defeat.  Log off the computer, close the textbook, put away the highlighters, and go to bed for the night.  Take a good shower, put on some comfy clothes, let your hair down, and relax. You've worked hard all week (and weekend) and have gotten so much accomplished.  You always put your best effort in, and sometimes, it's okay to step back, take a deep breath, and forget about it until morning.

You'll pull it together, you'll make it work.  You've always got it done before, and this time is no different.  And if you don't, so be it.  You've been an honors student your entire life.  It's not going to become a habit, and it's not going to ruin your future.  One late penalty on one project in one class isn't going to keep you from getting into college.  It isn't going to keep you from graduating, and it isn't going to keep you from passing the class.  One bad grade on one test isn't going to prevent you from having the job of your dreams.  It isn't going to drop you to bottom of your class, and it isn't going to make you seem uneducated or lazy.  Sometimes, it's worth it to throw up your hands, laugh it off, and figure out the rest as it comes.

There is so much more to life than school and grades.  It's not worth getting all stressed out or not getting a healthy amount of sleep.  Some days, it's better to just relax, kick back, and enjoy.  You'll get the work done, you'll pass the class, and you'll be successful.  It may not always seem that way, but trust me, it is.  So many times it feels like school is our lives, when, in reality, it's only a very small part of them.  These years are supposed to be our best, and nobody wants to look back and remember them as stressful or complicated.  So take a deep breath, throw your head back, and live free.  There's always tomorrow, and there's always another chance.  There's no priority greater than happiness, so don't let school drag you down.  Even though it seems like it's the end of the world, it's rarely more than just the beginning.