Every Tuesday night at 10:00 p.m., I’m in the same spot: the Culver’s parking lot. Not at home doing my calculus or biology homework, but eating a Concrete Mixer with my best friend after two hours of poms practice, a performance at a soccer game and two hours of ballet class.
I stumbled across a quote on Instagram right before this school year started that said, “Make it a great day, or not. The choice is yours.” Since then, I have actively made the choice to put a little extra effort into seeking out the good, even in stressful or uncomfortable situations.
You can choose to dread walking into your least favorite class every day, or you can see it as an opportunity to interact with your classmates. You can choose to fear doing group work with people who aren’t your friends, or you can see it as an opportunity to step outside of your comfort zone. You can choose to stay in on a Friday night to do homework, or you can go to the football game and have a good time with your friends.
I often have to choose between going to dance three days a week when I know it won’t end until past 9 p.m. or staying home to study for my test the next day. While I used to skip dance to study so I could go to bed at a reasonable time, I now prioritize dance over homework every single time. I have the rest of my life to do work, but I only have seven months left being a high schooler at my dance studio.
Choosing to go to dance means I sometimes have to start my homework at 10:30 p.m. rather than 3:15 p.m., but I always get it done eventually. Maintaining happiness doesn’t mean disregarding your studies, but rather finding a balance between what you want to do and what you have to do. While leaving time for fun such as hobbies, hangouts and food runs comes with sacrifices like sleep or test scores, those sacrifices have been well worth it for me.
I’m always one to say “yes” to plans on school nights, and those nights have been some of my most memorable. I chose not to stress about all the assignments I had due the next day, letting myself have fun and enjoy the best part about high school: the people. Whether that’s going to McDonald’s on a Thursday night after Variety Show with the cast or sitting in the Culver’s parking lot eating a Concrete Mixer every Tuesday, I’ve never regretted staying up that extra hour to finish my homework if that meant I got to have fun with my friends first.
When you think back on high school, you won’t remember your ACT score or GPA. What you will remember are the school nights you spent laughing on FaceTime with your friends for hours and the times you spontaneously got a sweet treat instead of studying like you were supposed to.
You get one shot at high school. It’s your choice. Make it great, or not.