Pondering a 36 hour day…

If I’m honest I’d….

Sleep, call a good friend (just to chat), shower until the hot water runs out (just once, water is a precious resource), read one of the books on my list, dream about taking a vacation, eat dessert (slowly), take a run, play with my children, dance wildly to “Dancing Queen” by Abba (think “Risky Business” but with more clothes) and engage in a killer game of Cranium with my husband and some good friends (I love the humdinger category).

What would you do with an extra twelve hours?

Context is always important to accurately understand answers given to questions. Even I had hoped that my answer would include a desire to spend some time working with a global peace group or with another of the important causes that resonate with me. But, I’m a 33 year old professional, wife, friend, teacher, volunteer and mom of three (newborn twins and a two year old). Not that my window for contributing to non-career and family related causes is closed (far from it), but at the moment I have an extremely busy life and am on-the-go from the moment I wake up (5:45 a.m.) until the minute I collapse into the sheets (about 11:00 p.m.). At times it’s challenging for me to fit in grocery shopping let alone the luxury of hobbies, recreation and contributions to global interests. And, although I love the life I live, it is fun to daydream about what I might do in the future when free time isn’t such a hot commodity. To determine the other unique ways I might choose to contribute to the world, to the needs of other people…  Which passion of mine would I focus on?

I think I’m particularly inspired to give thought to what life would be like with those extra minutes because of all the incredible things our applicants do when they aren’t focused on their structured class requirements. They are truly an impressive group. Whether raising awareness about the crisis in Darfur, shag dancing in national competitions (Youtube it and you’ll find some great videos if you aren’t familiar with the dance genre) or researching genetic illnesses at the National Institute of Health, they collectively follow their passions in a way we should all be so motivated to do throughout our lives. And the crazy thing is-  they have yet to even arrive at college! For admitted students the College is a place where those passions will gather strength and, a bit like osmosis and inertia combined, will inspire others to devote their talents and time to the passions that are important to them. They’ll become artists, politicians, scientists, historians, educators, businessmen (and women) and agents of change. What a gift it is to be a part of a community with such amazing energy and potential.

At the same time, W&M students are pretty down to earth folks who know the value of letting loose to have a good time and the value of sleep. I would guess that many a W&M student would echo my sentiments about the game of Cranium and that high on their list of ways they’d choose to fill the extra hours of a 36 hour day might be gathering with friends, enjoying a good book and dancing wildly to their own “Dancing Queen”.

– Jennifer Scott