It’s Thursday morning and I’m stressing about the day I am about to have. As the school day carries on, I can’t take my mind off of the fact that I won’t be home from golf match until 8:30 p.m. Still, would that give me enough time to shower, eat dinner, do my homework, study and go to bed at a reasonable hour? I always hope so, but sadly no — I won’t have enough time.

The stress brought on by the limited time I have after golf isn’t a once a week ordeal. Every Monday and Wednesday I rush from my last class of the day to the parking lot so that I can leave in time to make it to my golf practice. I always arrive at Tijeras Creek Golf Course with enough time to spare to change into my golf uniform.

Once practice ends, I hurry home so I can start my homework and study for the multitude of tests and projects that I’m always assigned. On the days I don’t I have practice, I have golf matches on Tuesdays and Thursdays that last until it’s dark outside. To end the week, my team and I work out with a trainer for an hour. Needless to say, I’m a busy bee — or should I say busy Eagle?

Out of all the days I play golf, whichever day that may be, it all boils down to the one thing that all student athletes work on: balance. I’ve played sports here at SMCHS for all four years of high school, and being a part of a sports team has taught me a lot more than keeping track of my golf clubs.

We all know that being a student at SMCHS requires an extreme amount of time and dedication to its rigorous coursework and fast-paced curriculum. But, for those of us playing sports or taking part in extracurricular activities, tending to our coursework while trying to maintain good grades is harder than it looks.

There’s not enough time in the day to go to school, go to practice and then go home to do homework and study. (Well, there is but that all depends on whether or not you’re willing to chug a few cups of coffee to stay awake.) On top of barely having enough time to adhere to the expectations our school and our parents place on our education, it’s hard to put equal amount of time into family, friends and faith.

This is where the struggle of balance comes in. I spend a majority amount of my time either studying or playing golf, so much so that I inadvertently forget that I do have a life outside of school and the golf course. I’m not naïve — I acknowledge that living a balanced life is pivotal to my livelihood and health. However, I find myself more often than not shoving that fact under the rug.

The hour-long bible studies that I attend as part of Holy Trinity Catholic Church Youth Ministry allow me to open my mind and heart to those sitting around me during the readings. That open mind and heart follows me throughout the week as I am able to open my eyes to the fact that I need to work harder at living a balanced life.

I don’t reprimand myself for spending too much time locked in my room at the mercy of the loads of homework I need do. I do reprimand myself, however, for the time I do not spend with my family, with my friends and with my church group. Once-a-week bible studies are great, but they don’t turn my busy life into a balanced one. That’s up to me.

My main and most important goal for my senior year is to learn to live a well-balanced life. Consider this call to action my New Year’s resolution, it’s just three months early… or nine months late.

After attending Wednesday night bible studies, I now know that I need to make some adjustments in my life. I’m not promising that I am going to pay the attention that my family, friends and faith need — because I can’t make any promises in this busy life of mine. What I can say, though, is that I am going to do my best to carry on this year with the mindset that there’s more to life than school and golf.

I plan to schedule my priorities instead of prioritize what’s on my schedule. At the end of the day, it’s not the GPA and ACT score or the number of losses and wins that define who I am. It’s the experiences I share with the people in my life and the culture I indulge in that define who I am. My family, friends and faith are the key to not only who I am but also to my happiness. Balancing all aspects of my life is going to be difficult, but God wouldn’t give me a life I couldn’t handle.