Challenge 2: Spend a day as you wish

46. If you had a day to spend as you wish, how would you use your time? (Carleton College)

If I could choose to spend a day as I wish, I would make sure to choose to do things throughout the day that I would not regret. Waking up late, having a bowl of cereal in the middle of the day – probably the healthiest thing I would eat throughout the day – and then going on to lying in bed, watching movie after movie, does sound appealing, to a high school student like me; but in the end of the day, when I think over what I have done, I would feel no satisfaction. In fact, all I would feel would be the guilt of wasting 12 precious hours of my life and fatigue (due to over sleeping) which would have messed up my daily sleep schedule. Instead of a day like that, I would prefer to start the morning by waking up at an annoyingly early hour to accompany my mother on her circumambulation of the stupa, 10 minutes away from home. After 45 minutes of walking, I would be welcomed home with the smell of toasted bread and the sizzling of bacon my father would be cooking. Followed by breakfast with the family, my brother and I would have our music lessons and then a break, in which I would be on the computer, until a get-together lunch at my grandparent’s home. Being the eldest I would help out with the setting up, preparing a delicious meal for everyone to enjoy. As the afternoon goes on, my mother would drop my brother and me to the swimming pool to get our daily dose of exercise, and an excuse to fill our hungry stomachs after the swim with a plate of fries and a pastry. By this time, evening would draw closer each minute as the dark clouds creep up on the sky. I wouldn’t even realize how quickly time had passed as I would be so occupied, and yet, still enjoy every bit of it. After a warm shower, my parents would give us a call, telling us to wait in the parking lot so we can go out for dinner at the family’s favorite Japanese restaurant, Koto. The lively conversation throughout dinner on “how the day went” would allow me to realize how fruitful my day has been. Going back in the car with a soft Bryan Adam’s song in the background, and my brother sleeping on my shoulder, would make the perfect transition to the end of my day. The mood would drift my mind into recalling everything I did. I wash up and get into bed. Sleep would come to me instantly as my head sinks into the pillow and I remember the words of my teacher, "Time is a limited resource, use it wisely.”