By Jan Vicente B. Pekas
The bane of all happy schedules in school are the 7:30 A.M. classes. I had thought I already outran these early morning wakes and left them in my highschool days. Turns out, my spoiled days in college with class schedules that were very lenient for someone living so far from the city let my guard down against the sudden nostalgic early morning frustration.
It was not an easy experience for someone living outside of Baguio to attend the schools within the city. I have little to no memories of what we even learned in first periods during my elementary days. I, instead, learned how to walk shamelessly to the gate when it was my 3rd straight day of being late.
You would be lucky to even see me in the flag ceremonies. I’d always be with the others watching outside the gate or behind the lines of students that arrived on time.
One of my ways of coping would always come on Saturdays and sundays. I would stay up until 3 in the morning just doing whatever and listening to any kind of music. It was a surreal feeling to stay there lying awake during hours that I would dare not go near on weekdays. I managed to discover some songs that have stayed with me to the present and that have only amplified the nostalgic memories that lie within.
I will have to find new ways to cope once more, because those 2 A.M. therapy sessions back in the day no longer have the same effects on someone staying up till 2 A.M. daily.
For now, the battles against early alarms are going fairly well. The walk to the first period is no longer with shame, but filled with proud strides.
It won’t always be like that, but it does feel good to actually be on schedule.
Consistency will be the hard part but such is the price of discipline, the price of achieving what we yearn for. Our days, though not always sunshine and rainbows, are with purpose that gets us one step closer to that dream still within our heads.
We may not always be at work or school on time, but we move on. No sense in mulling over our bad days when the next one is just around the corner.
These days are quick to pass us by. They cruelly wait for no one even if they have exams in the next ten minutes.
There should be no room for hesitation.
We pounce on life and all it can give us. Live each day fully and go to bed with no regrets.
Look forward then to the next dayand how we can do better. **
