When racking my brain as to what I should write about this time around, I found myself getting frustrated that I could never find time to just sit and think for a few minutes.

And then it hit me. That’s it!

I want to take this opportunity to whine a little bit about my hectic schedule. Please don’t get me wrong; it is not pity I am looking for in the least bit but rather to vent my annoyance.

I fully realize a lot of people out there have no free time and I think that we, as Americans, deserve time to put our feet up, if only for a few minutes each week no matter what our ages.

Between going to school seven hours a day, working 25-35 hours per week, homework, extra-curricular activities with a little bit of socializing that I allow myself, I’m straight-out pooped!

I honestly cannot remember the last time I took a lazy nap, watched a movie, or read a book. The thing that perhaps scares me the most about this is that as a young adult, I am just starting on the long road of no free time. Retirement seems a long way away, especially since officials appear to keep moving retirement age even later.

Oh, man. Responsibility stinks!

However, I do love being busy and possibly would rather do something productive with my time than doing nothing but occasionally, that “nothing” sure does seem amazing.

Remember adults, after work you get to go home, put up your feet, and maybe even watch the evening news. Some days I get home from work around 8:15 p.m., grab a bite to eat, and have two to three hours of homework laid-out in front of me only to turn around and begin this vicious cycle all over again the next morning when the alarm wakes me up.

I am lucky enough, however, to snag a couple of days off from work each week, thanks to my amazing boss, Rick Turner. Those days are filled with other responsibilities that include school-related activities.

I fully grasp that I am not the only young person out there experiencing “no free time syndrome.” There are those in fall sports or others who work longer shifts than I do.

So the next time you feel down, overworked, and underpaid, don’t fret, my friend, and join the club. I assume this realization comes hand-in-hand with the whole growing-up bit, something that I have been warned about a time or two.

— PAIGE BARNES