Four days until Spring Break.

Quite frankly I think that thought trumps any 600 words I could write, but I’m not sure my editor would let me get away with writing only that, so why don’t we waste a little time while you wait for your class to start?

We both know there’s no point in trying to cram frantically for the midterm you have in five minutes: You (and I) should have studied this weekend, but you (and I) went to the SAE Boxing Tournament instead. Or maybe you didn’t, and you’re completely prepared for your test today. Or maybe you went to the tournament and still managed to be on top of all (or some) of your work. At this point I’m midway between the two extremes of being completely prepared for a week of midterms and having done nothing this weekend except hang out with friends in bars and in a boxing arena.

Even if Boxing Weekend isn’t your favorite weekend of the year, or if you have no idea what I’m talking about, odds are you’ve been in a similar situation: walking the line between fulfilling responsibilities and building relationships. Because, despite what my brother may say about me, I am not a very violent person and don’t enjoy watching others in pain. I do like watching the boxing matches themselves, but the reason I love Boxing Weekend is because I get to spend three days and nights hanging out with friends I don’t see as much as I would like.

I think it’s normal to have trouble balancing between work and friends. On the one hand, society (and your parents) tend to reward you when you do well in school or at your job and views goofing off with friends as wasting time. On the other hand, while time spent building relationships is important, it’s also a lot more fun and easier to do than reading 130 pages of history; I bet I’m not alone in saying that there has been a time or two this semester I was hanging out with friends when I should have been doing some homework.

For me a large part of growing up the past few years has been learning how to balance these two demands on my time. In the past I tended to put my schoolwork ahead of my relationships, which gets you good grades, but it costs you, too, just as putting friends before school has the potential to strengthen ties but can also cost you when it’s time to take your midterm.

I like being able to quantify things, having at least some idea of what’s going on. Time spent building relationships with friends and family isn’t easily measured, can’t be measured at all, really, so I tended to err on the side of getting good grades, where I would have some sense of control.

But I don’t want my life to be quantifiable, able to fit in tidy columns, as if someone can look at it on a sheet and then pass on by. In college we are responsible for completing the requirements of our classes, and when you have a duty to perform, you should do it well, to the best of your ability. I ought to do as well as I can in all my classes, but I also need to remember to live and not just work, to enjoy good times with good friends. Sometimes nights spent wandering the Strip and talking about Shakespeare and Davy Crockett and Mitt Romney until the wee hours of the morning are just as valuable as those spent doing homework. The trick, which I have yet to master, is to navigate successfully the tension between the two.

Good luck with midterms this week, everyone. Have a lovely Spring Break with your friends and loved ones. I will be lying on a sunny beach for a week with some very dear friends. See you in two weeks!

— Leigh Dickey is a junior in global studies. She can be reached at [email protected].