I got my first part-time job at 16, as many other people do. It was a fast-food job, nothing too special, but it immediately changed the way I lived.
Suddenly, spontaneous trips with my friends couldn't happen. We all had to make sure we didn't work that day, which made simple hangouts turn into an event to be planned for weeks before managers made schedules.
It was a small sacrifice in high school. I didn't work full-time, so I still had plenty of time to see my friends, just not as much as I had been used to.
That was then.
Before, I lived with my parents who paid for everything that involved my existence. Now, I live in my own apartment with bills and rent to pay. Before, the money I got was used to buy frivolous things that I thought were cool. Now, I use it to continue to live by buying food and paying for shelter. Before, I didn't have to work so many hours a week because the money was just for spending. Now, I heavily track my hours and depend on them to survive.
It was a big decision to move out of my parents' house at the ripe young age of 20, and I don't regret it one bit. But with this decision have come sacrifices.
I can't help but feel like I live at work.
Now, I know there are adults (and I mean adultadults) who obviously work a lot more than me. In fact, there are certainly people my age who work way more than me, and I truly admire and respect those people.
It just bothers me that I never know when it's the weekend. Customers come by and say "Have a good weekend!" to which my response is, "It's the weekend, again? Already?"
Friends ask when they can come by and visit, and after much planning, we decide on a date a month in the future.
When I was in school during the fall and spring semesters, I went to class, got on the bus, went to work, came home, went to bed and repeated the process almost every day minus Monday, when I had a night class and couldn't work.
Fridays and Saturdays are spent at home because if I go out too late, I won't be able to wake up for my morning shift.
I have made these sacrifices so that I can gain experience from work and earn money to continue my lifestyle and, like I said, I don't regret it, but sometimes seeing other people my age go to raves and concerts and festivals and late-night adventures can get to me.
It's those times when I remember that I could be having more fun, I could be living life a little louder, and I feel like I'm wasting my time.
I'm not.
I'm using my time in a good way, in a way that leads to success, if I work hard enough, but sometimes, I'm gonna have to learn to request off a weekend or too.
