First Day. Here goes...

We tend to live our lives as a series of routines and schedules. In high school, my day would consist of getting up, getting ready for school, going to school, going to swim practice, coming home, doing homework, maybe watching a little TV, and finally going to bed. The next day I would wake up and repeat it all again. Weekends proved to be a brief repose from the daily grind, but soon enough it would be Monday again. You're probably thinking something along the lines of "She must have been miserable!". The reality was just the opposite-- I was a very happy girl! My schedule worked for me. I was comfortable.

College life has provided me with some awesome insight into what I like to call the "living the schedule" phenomenon. In college, life is less structured. Not being in school for eight hours a day allows you to have a lot of free time. There is always some event going on around campus, whether it be a comedian's performance, a concert, a seminar, or a party. On a whim, you can decide to go out and do something different! Needless to say, there is some structure. Otherwise, I would go crazy (like I'm feeling now on my 4th week of winter break)! Classes, club meetings, and sport's practices provide a nice, non-overbearing structure to college life.

A major difference I find between my pre-college life and my college life is this: In high school I had to drag myself out of bed while in college I feel no aversion to waking up whatsoever. Why is this? Am I a happier person in college? No, not really. I suspect there are many factors (like maybe it's because my dorm room is always warmer than my room at home or maybes it's simply because I don't wake up as early). But I like to think that it's because in college there is a guarantee that I will do, see, or hear about something I've never done, seen or heard about before. And that something is not just worth dragging myself out of bed for, its worth leaping out of bed for!

Is this lifestyle only possible for college students? No! Everyone, 18 year olds and 88 year olds alike, can vow to do something each day that adds a little zest to their lives. Life isn't about being comfortable; it's about living to the fullest. Don't just live your schedule, live your life!