I went into spring break ready to work my fingers to their theoretical bone. It was time to apply for every single internship possible, read all of the books I needed to for the next two weeks and have papers done three assignments ahead of schedule. With my friends all having break a week ahead of me, I would have plenty of time to work diligently in solitude, saving myself as much future stress as possible.
As I am writing this article on my ride back to the College of William and Mary, my stomach is returning a little rounder. My mind and soul are returning fully rejuvenated and recovered. Perhaps most pointedly, my work is returning barely more finished than it was beforehand.And you know what? I wouldn’t have it any other way.
After visiting my high school on Friday, I returned home to treat myself to a nice nap. After waking up to my typical 20-minute alarm, I turned to face my phone, thought about what I actually had to do the rest of the day and calmly shut the alarm off to return to my rest. About two hours later, I woke up feeling bizarrely okay with my lack of progress. I shrugged this off, still ready to get to work as soon as possible.
Saturday saw me visiting a friend at the University of Connecticut, so I had an excuse to ignore work then. Sunday, I returned home and ate dinner with my mom for the first time in nearly a month. The food and rest were welcome and gave me what I thought was all the motivation I needed to get to work the next day.
Monday, I figured out how to write a cover letter. Proud of myself, I spent the rest of the day playing Rocket League and watching college basketball. Tuesday, I helped my dad clean out his office’s basement and went to bed early. Wednesday, after successfully finding a monologue for my acting course and slowly making progress on an English paper, the power in my mom’s apartment snapped off. Losing the wi-fi and light I needed to continue working on my paper, I thought about potential ways to still do something worthwhile. As I weighed my potential options, I thought back to my late Friday nap. At that moment, I slammed my laptop shut, plopped on the couch and proceeded to partake in doing absolutely nothing.
After that, my break plans shifted monumentally. While I did some writing, I never did work unless I was truly moved to do so. Instead, I found myself going wherever my lazy desires took me, whether it be reading a random play, playing a marathon of Wii Sports or vibing to the entire soundtrack to “Les Miserables.” Having the freedom to play more, listen more and sleep more was something I had sorely missed during this semester so far. Hard work would return regardless of how much I got done; lengthy relaxation was something I could only really get then.
I know that this week will bring a plethora of writing, reading and research. However, since having the opportunity to breathe last week, I have been reminded of the things I work for in the first place, and I am more prepared than ever before to get back to the grind.
Email Anthony Madalone at asmadalone@email.wm.edu.