To-Do: Find More Time

            No one really said that life gets harder as we grow up. They could have. They could have warned us that responsibilities and everyday tasks will pile up in between the stack of old newspapers and heap of dirty laundry. The To-Do list will continue to grow, the waiting lists will get longer and the price of gas will skyrocket into oblivion making it seem that there never really will be a pause allowing us to just take a break. 

            Surgeons rush around pumping human hearts with their hands and world leaders have consent papers for millions of dollars and lives on their desks. You have to ask: How in the world do we as students find our place in a world spinning at hyper speed?  Good question. Especially for those of us not in pre-med, or on the path to world domination-

            Basically there is no answer. There is no possible way that every one of us will get that warm fuzzy feeling of accomplishment that is so outright amazing that everyone around will stop what they’re doing to watch. Disappointing? Naturally yes, but realistically, it’s kind of reassuring. I know that waking up tomorrow I can breathe easy knowing that no one is waiting for my sign of approval, and most importantly, no one’s life is resting between my fingertips. Technically I could sign off this computer, leave a note for my roommates and run to where the sky meets the earth, but then what kind of example would I be setting?

            And who hasn’t had that slap in the face realization that the world actually continues to spin when you step out of the room? Some of us sit and dwell, some of us drink our sorrows our away, and others go out and capture it all on video.

            Here comes the part where this all makes sense-

            If it is true that what we do doesn’t really make a difference in the long run, then we all might as well take a swig of courage and run until our legs collapse beneath us. And as fascinating as that sounds, I like to think that it isn’t our only option-mainly because there are people out there proving that it in fact isn’t true. Little things we do can make a difference. People like the creators of the documentary “Invisible Children,” three people who took leave of work and life in general, to make a difference in lives other than their own. Sitting and watching children of Uganda weighted down with fear sparks something inside of you that isn’t so easy to shake, even as you walk away and drive home to a warm bed calling your name. And then you sit down the next day after a rough night’s sleep and contemplate how you personally can make a difference; the only problem is figuring out how to work it in.

            Ah, the American way: Figuring out how to work in other people’s lives into your day planner. And then begins the realization where you’re thinking about people outside of your circle of friends who you’ll most likely never meet; outside of your community and even beyond the borders of your continent. That To-Do list may have been added onto, and the laundry has attached itself permanently to the floor, but when you’ve left the room and gone outside for a quick run-the world still continues to spin. Thankfully, it doesn’t stop when you leave the room and attempt to figure out what you can do to fix it.