Finding the right balance between work and leisure

It's been three weeks into the semester and walking through the library, I can already see people going insane. I have seen freshmen fret over writing their first college paper, my classmates worry about the prospect of a pop quiz and my suitemate debating about whether she was on the right meal plan for the past two weeks.

These past three weeks, I have been nervous about whether I will have enough time.

Like any other college student, I guess I am anxious about managing my schoolwork, how in shape I am for the fencing team this season and whether I will spend enough time with my friends.

But most of all, as I look at my planner this semester, I am primarily concerned about one thing: when will I finally get to watch the final Harry Potter movie?

This is unequivocally the biggest regret I have from this past summer: never watching the finale of so many people's childhoods. The worst part is, I even had a free ticket to the midnight premiere. I stood in the lobby and watched the many Potter fanatics run around the concession stand donning Gryffindor colors and wizard wands. I saw costumes accurate to the last detail as moviegoers dressed as Ron Weasley and Luna Lovegood, and then I went home.

Every time I tell this story, I get punched in the arm, only reminding myself of the perpetual regret I live in until I finally get to watch this movie.

I always try to defend myself, saying I had to go to work early the next day. My friends just shake their head and sigh, not a bit persuaded by my lame excuse.

But we hear this type of reasoning at Hopkins all the time. Everyone complains, ‘I have a lot of work to do.' This is the excuse we give to get out of practice, the justification of our absence from a club meeting, or the explanation to a person we are avoiding that has wanted to catch up for the ‘longest time.'

One would think, with the overwhelming workload we get here, that this idea of ‘a lot of work' is a pathos appeal. It should elicit empathy from that upperclassman who knew what it was like to take orgo, write an eight-page paper in one night, or complete a linear algebra problem set.

However, the only response is usually a disapproving head-shake, or a grumpy, ‘humph.'

How far should this excuse take us? Does too much reading excuse me from fencing practice? Does a psycholinguistics lab analysis let me off the hook from my Advocates for Autism Meeting? Is hiding out in the library for the day a  sufficient defense for not calling my parents?

Honestly, having ‘a lot of work' is not a legitimate excuse at all. I should not expect any sense of empathy from my captain, club president or anyone else. Everyone has work, but the trick is to manage it, to keep everything balanced. Why would my teammate feel bad that I have an exam tomorrow? She has been in the same situation and made it work.

In high school, as captain of my fencing team, it always vexed me to hear ‘I have a lot of work.' Although I knew the nail-biting stress of taking the SAT's or the laborious studying required to ace AP Government, listening about it got frustrating.

Then one day, I got a phone call from one of my fellow teammates:

"I am really sorry Katherine, but I can't come to practice," she said, sounding a bit worried.

"Oh no! Why?" I inquired, hoping she was okay.

"Well," she said, hesitating, "I want to watch Glee with my grandmother."

Who am I to deny someone from time with her grandmother? Or even worse, deprive her of Glee? I cheerfully replied, "Okay, have fun!" and promptly hung up.

I'm not saying that this should be considered a valid excuse; however, sometimes it's good to let things go for the sake of one's sanity.

It wouldn't hurt to just skip one practice or meeting this millennium to toss around a Frisbee, read a book for fun, or sit on the BMA steps.

Of course, this is not a signal to let loose and slack off. Just like a 30 min nap can help power through the rest of the day, a leisurely day can ease stress and make the next day's daily grind more bearable.

So maybe I need to take a second look at my schedule, maybe I have to prioritize and manage my time better.

That will be my goal this semester, to make time and to stay sane. Until then, hopefully ‘I'm going to watch the final Harry Potter movie' will suffice when I need a mental health day.