Alas! some of you will say. That is not what the holiday season is all about! The holidays are a time of relaxation, when you're able to take a break and enjoy life - a seemingly impossible task in our society of perpetual motion.
However, such is not the case for me. My workload does not allow for holiday down time. Being a dancer, stage manager, and head choreographer in a dance company requires the majority of my time - not to mention my religious studies, responsibility as a Sunday school teacher and in SAFE, my student advocacy/equality group. I also have to worry about school work now more than ever (the next report card is the one that will determine my university acceptances).
As if these responsibilities weren't enough, this is my final year of high school - time to apply for universities, work tirelessly for good marks, and still manage to balance a social life with friends whom I might not see next year save during the occasional visits to the hometown.
I'm also in foster care. This means that I have to schedule regular meetings with my social worker, lawyer, head of my foster agency, coordinator, birth family, and fill out absurd paper work.
Let me tell you something, everybody. THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH HOURS IN THE DAY FOR ME TO GET ALL MY WORK DONE. I enjoy dance, school, and spending time with my friends and family, but everyone seems to expect that I will make THEIR class, THEIR needs, time with THEM, my first priority.
My advice to teachers, friends, and coaches? Lay off a little bit right now. It's virtually impossible for us to please everyone all the time during this time of the year. We promise, we're trying our best.
Girl With One Eye
