If someone asked me

It's May, and that means we're entering graduation season. I gave a graduation speech when I was leaving high school, but I have no memory of what I said. I'm sure it was something about how great is was to be graduating and moving on to the next phase of our lives. It probably included a mention of how I hadn't been at that school for a long time, so I didn't have any fun stories to share about my classmates doing crazy things in elementary school. Or junior high. Or high school, for that matter.

If I could tell my 18-year-old self and my classmates anything now, I would tell us to maintain balance.

Now, I'm not talking about being able to stand on one foot without falling or standing straight with a book on one's head. I'm talking about balance in life.

Julie Jackson and I were the student speakers at our graduation.

It's easy to lose that balance when you don't have parents or teachers around to help with it. I tend toward a workaholic personality with responsible and competitive tendencies, so my first instinct is to work and keep working because I want whatever I'm doing to be the best. When I first started at the newspaper in Pawnee City (where I was before I came to Seward), I worked all the time. I barely gave myself time to do laundry. I didn't take time to do anything else.

I've since learned that all work and no break is a bad idea. It will wear you out physically, yes, but it drains you emotionally, spiritually and any other -ly you can think of. It's not selfish to allow yourself time to unwind. In fact, it's good for you. When you take that time away, you come back with more energy, more ideas, more enthusiasm for whatever it is you're doing.

Find or continue activities that aren't related to your job or classes. They will allow you to relax for a moment. For example, for the last couple years, I've been more involved in the music program at my church. It's something totally different than what I do for my job. I've always enjoyed singing, so being in the choir is fun and provides a different outlet for me. While it's similar to my job, I'm also trying to do a little more creative writing, like the Christmas program for church.

Take time periodically to be by yourself. Not everyone likes to be alone, I know, but sometimes you just need a few moments of silence to reset your mind. I don't have a roommate, so when I get home from work (whatever time that happens to be) I can just breathe. I don't have to worry about being social or carrying on a conversation or even listening to someone else talk about their day. Maybe that sounds selfish, but I think it's important.

Make sure you eat right, sleep enough and get regular exercise (said the person who frequents too many drive throughs, stays up way too late most nights and manages to talk herself out of any kind of work-out). Again, I'm speaking from experience. When I get enough sleep, I have more energy to get through the marathon days. And if I eat food that doesn't come from a fast-food restaurant and throw a little exercise on top of that, my energy level is higher and lasts longer. You'd think, since I know that, I'd follow my own advice.

So that's what I'd tell myself and my classmates. I'm sure we wouldn't listen and probably wouldn't remember what was said. But there it is. Thanks for listening.