Last Thursday ended my fourteen week term at Film School.
My second term at Art Center College of Design.
To say the last fourteen weeks (twenty eight weeks combined) have been intense and rewarding at the same time is underplaying the sheer madness of it all.
Of course, fourteen weeks of school means fourteen weeks of classes, assignments, projects, internships, and just enough to get through life.
Personal time, or friendly outings, take a backseat during this very (VERY) busy time. So I've been needing, badly, girl time. Social time. Play time. For quite some time.
So the first thing I did when I finished my last class? I called several friends - "I'M DONE!" - I screamed through my bluetooth.
To an answering machine.
A voicemail.
Or, a big dark black hole of nothingness.
I then texted a couple of others, and of course I wrote the prerequisite Facebook message: "Making plans to see you," followed by, "I'll be MIA during my first weekend away in fourteen weeks."
Which I was.
Truly.
This weekend I was enjoying the OC, eating like a queen, shopping like a loose cannon and enjoying every last minute of a much needed weekend away with the hubby.
I wore makeup.
Real shoes.
I slept in.
I drank.
By Monday (today) I expected to have email after email of follow-up's to schedule my time. What I had, instead, was two cancelations.
CANCELLATIONS.
Jesus folks - I've been literally without life for FOURTEEN weeks. But yet, we make plans and you CANCEL?
To say I almost lost a head socket is not exaggerating. Because I was upset.
Not a little.
A lot.
So today I did tons of to-do's, scheduled a last minute work call, started planning for my other two trips (San Diego and Seattle here. I. come!), did some school stuff, and well, did not do one of the things I hoped to do during my break.
Oh well, right?
Well, not really.
Here's the thing. Life is crazy busy.
I think we have all decided that whether or not you have children has little to no bearing how much time you have, or don't, to spend on others.
Because for the fourteen weeks (once I start school again) I will only have memories of the fun times I had with my friends when I'm spending another 12-hour day behind an editing bay or writing in silence.
So any and all the time I plan with others is golden.
Special.
Just imagine this...
While you are bouncing your bubbly baby boy I will be spending another five hours in a coffee shop planning my next shoot.
While you are making the choice of what to do or not, I will have the next fourteen weeks scheduled to a T, including the few hours (a month) I will have ALONE with my hubby.
So if you have a friend like me, do yourself a favor. Do them a favor.
Keep your commitments.
Follow-through.
Answer phone calls. Respond to to texts.
Don't just troll social media - but use Facebook or other social media to interact.
Make time.
Make plans.
Make it special.
Be. A. Friend.
Ana Lydia
