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Photo by: Caryn Corliss
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Move that to tomorrow. Can’t make that. Make a note to put that in the calendar.
After paying dues and signing up for 11 clubs at the start of the school year, my calendar is full of nothing but “busy” notifications and schedule conflicts. It’s consuming me whole.
On most days, I don’t even have time to scarf down cheese and crackers or a Lunchable. On good days, I might have a smoothie to drink during class. Despite my stomach growling and my body telling me “you need to eat,” food doesn’t fit into the schedule of most days.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Every moment is planned out to avoid cancellations and rescheduling. Student Council on Tuesday, Key Club and NHS on Wednesday, Rays of Sunshine on Friday and studying in between.
I go from Spanish to AP sessions to piano to “Spots,” or youth group, at Prestonwood to youth group at Bent Tree, leaving my car out of gas, my stomach without food and my body without sleep.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Time set aside for reading The Bible at night is the only peaceful and slow moment in my day. This daily perspective check reminds me that showing love to other people is more important eternally than grades and planning social events. Without this hour of peace, I would go back to the desire to control every aspect of my life with no end in sight.
Only the hope of an eternal life without schedules and time keeps me going as the weekday merges into the weekend, causing my days to only get busier.
Choir, newspaper and service events fill up my weekends and my extroverted personality and desire for social time fills the rest of the gaps, leaving my parents to wonder if they will see me at all. Too often I hear my mom say “OK honey, drive safe. See you next month.” So I joke back, “Only if I can pencil you in.”
I’ve also had to learn how to say “no.” Before I can commit to a friend wanting to grab dinner one night, I have to pull out my phone and check to see if I’m available.
Before chaos (BC), I could accept every offer I got and conversations went like this:
“Hey, want to go see a mo …?”
“Sure!”
“You didn’t let me finish.”
“Doesn’t matter – I’m free!”
After chaos (AC), an invitation looks a little more like this:
“Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Let me check and get back to you.”
Even as days seem endless, God has worked chaotic situations for good: My time management skills have reached an all-time high out of necessity and a day hardly goes by without a new story to tell. My supportive friends and peace from God in the midst of chaos keeps me anchored, stopping the overwhelming feelings from winning.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]