Sunday, October 10, 2010

Two More Days Make All the Difference

My quality of life has improved dramatically. How so? By a simple matter of changing my work schedule.

You see, initially, in my very stupid mind, it made sense to spend Monday and Tuesday working long shifts followed by class. "More gas efficient," I explained to detractors, convinced that the few cents worth of gas that I saved each week were somehow worth the debilitating exhaustion, torturous stress, and ever-present feeling of impending doom. Obviously, I was somewhat mistaken. The realization of my mistake finally beat its way into my beleaguered mind after a particularly memorable Sunday on which I was so beset by stress that I collapsed in bed with a massive migraine and thus accomplished nothing.

It occurred to me that three to four migraines a week, very little sleep, and frequent chest pains were probably not healthy and were most likely going to eventually start affecting my GPA. So, I finally did what I should have done all along and changed my work hours. Now, instead of only have five days of the week in which I can get homework done, I have time on all seven days in which I can work. What freedom, what calmness I feel now!

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"Passage—immediate passage! the blood burns in my veins! Away, O soul! hoist instantly the anchor!
Cut the hawsers—haul out—shake out every sail!
Have we not stood here like trees in the ground long enough?
Have we not grovell’d here long enough, eating and drinking like mere brutes?
Have we not darken’d and dazed ourselves with books long enough?

Sail forth! steer for the deep waters only!
Reckless, O soul, exploring, I with thee, and thou with me;
For we are bound where mariner has not yet dared to go, And we will risk the ship, ourselves and all.

O my brave soul!
O farther, farther sail!
O daring joy, but safe! Are they not all the seas of God?
O farther, farther, farther sail!"

~Walt Whitman, "Passage to India"