Houston McLaury-
Welcome back from Spring Break Gusties! I hope you had a wonderful time over your break, and feel rested and relaxed enough to come back for the rest of the semester. I hope you all spent a lot of time with your friends and your family, or cozied up with a book to read, a show to watch, or a game to play so you could enjoy the new fantastical world you delved into. Or, if you had to work, I hope it was easier on you and that you could enjoy what little time off you were able to have.
Yet, while coming back from break, taking the fifty-minute drive back from work, a constant thought wafted its way through my mind, like a steak rotten beneath the grate of a storm drain. I kept thinking to myself “Why do we need a break in the first place?” If we truly think about it, breaks are inconclusive to the lifestyle many of us will lead after college, working long hours at a job to make enough money to support our own lifestyle choices. Honestly, breaks in general are a waste of time and I hope that after reading this article you will agree with me in my unwavering opinion that all breaks are a waste of time.
In my first blow against breaks, many people cling to them because of the time they offer to explore something new or to relax in an old hobby. For example, for many people, Spring Break is a time to plan a vacation, travel somewhere to eat new things, try new drinks, meet new people, and absorb a new skill. While it does all this, this can all be done at a job by talking to coworkers, and by ensuring you buckle down into your work, you can surely learn any skill you wish to pick up.
Moreover, you can visit places through work, mainly through Google Maps. By opening this application, and going into street view, you can instantly transport yourself into a new location! Hate the cold blizzard we got on Spring Breaks weekend? Simply open up the app, and drop yourself on a warm beach wherever you prefer! Then you just need to warm yourself up, and you’ll practically be on the beach. Instead of taking time away from your work and expanding your experiences, stay and work to ensure your skills are properly put to use!
Another reason many people rejoice during the breaks that we get is because of the time it allows us to spend with our friends and family. Which, in all honesty, is quite perplexing, since this time can be better spent working on either studying or spent at a job to learn a new skill. Instead, most people use breaks as an excuse to see their parents, their grandparents, or their high school friends through organizing times to hang out with them. Instead of doing this, simply call your family or friends, that way you can still talk to them and update them on what’s going on in life, while not wasting any time waiting for a reply due to texting instead of calling. This will help to increase your productivity as you move further along in the world.
One of the most important aspects of a break is the actual break, the stepping away from projects, homework, lectures, readings, all of it, and divulging time into recuperating your mental facilities to prepare for the rest of the semester. But, by doing this, we often lose a lot of time that could be spent on assignments and projects for work. This extends further into sleep, where a whole eight hours or so is regularly lost thanks to the body needing to recuperate. Instead of being bullied by what your brain wants, go out and buy lots of coffee and caffeinated products, which will help to keep you awake and active for any amount of time you need to spend on your project.
In case you haven’t gotten it by now, I am only joking as I am writing this for April Fools. Breaks are an important aspect of life that we all need, and pushing well beyond your limit can often damage many aspects of your life. So, with that in mind, be kind to yourself as we head into the second half of the semester, allow yourself to grow, and welcome the sweet eight-hour break of sleep you get each night. Happy April, and Happy belated April Fools!