uRABE

A LIFE 0F LEIS0RE ANB A LIFE 0F

LAZINESS ARE TW0 TBINuS. TBERE
WILL BE SLEEPINu EN00uB IN TBE
uRAvE-BEN FRANKLIN
Anais Coiiales

Word Count 963
11]23]2011





Anals Corrales Pardaway Plgh School Crade 12

A LIFE 0F LEIS0RE ANB A LIFE 0F LAZINESS ARE TW0 TBINuS. TBERE
WILL BE SLEEPINu EN00uB IN TBE uRAvE-BEN}ANIN FRANKLIN

Allow me to reIlect on my ninth grade year, Ior it is during that time that a sloth oI a girl
inhabited my body. I laughed in the Iace oI due dates and responsibility, Ior nothing was worth
doing it now when it could be done later. Little did I realize that a little eIIort goes a long way in
terms oI success, and as Benjamin Franklin once said, 'there will be sleeping enough in the
grave.
When I was a high school Ireshman, I was lazy. There is no other way around it, nor a
way to sugar coat it. I recall a moment during class when my petite English teacher announced to
the class in her shrill voice, 'I thought I`d make out next topic Iun-', and raised her voice ever so
slightly over the groans that ensued as she continued, 'instead oI me lecturing about the Second
World War, I`ve come up with an activity Ior us to do! Her voice was positively glowing at the
prospect, Ior this particular English teacher was known Ior assigning activities that required the
skill oI a Iive-year old. We suspected she was either incapable oI assigning something
stimulating or imagined us to be a kindergarten class.
The activity in question was an essay. Not just any essay, knowing Ms. Atwood it was
going to be a 1:3essay. When the instructions were passed about the classroom Ms. Atwood
explained what she expected Irom us in our essays, but I am ashamed to admit that I cannot tell
you what those instructions are. For perhaps the Achilles`s Heel oI a lazy student is not the lack
oI selI-motivation as much as it is the short attention span. When the ringing oI the bell echoed
about my head, I did what I always did when receiving a long-term assignment; I stored it in the
barren wasteland oI my brain where perhaps all oI my short-term memories linger and begin
wither away ever so slowly.
The week the assignment was due, there was a commotion occurring within my sluggish
brain. I knew that there was something rather important that was going to happen this week, but
I was unperturbed and thought nothing oI it. Until the high-pitched voice that belonged to Ms.
Atwood announced, 'I`m so excited to receive your assignments tomorrow! It was then that
whatever part oI my stomach that was still lodged to my body, I was also too lazy to eat
breakIast, Ielt as though it had been crushed like an egg in the Iist oI procrastination.
Was there some sort oI disease associated with laziness that made it eat away at my
resolve, my will, until I had nothing to act on in order to accomplish simple tasks? I Ielt a terrible
shame that was heavy in my lungs, making it hard to breathe. While I was undergoing my Iit oI
inner turmoil, I Iaintly heard Ms. Atwood reminding the class to turn their assignments into the
second hour assignment box. That`s when I decided determinedly, that a Second World War
essay would be turned into that box with my name on it.
I started work immediately, researching everything I possibly could concerning the topic
and could only be deterred by the call oI dinner Irom downstairs; but even nourishment was a
bothersome distraction Irom the task at hand, Ior I returned to work aIter grazing my plate. When
I Ielt my pile oI research was suIIicient, I compiled a research paper Iaster than I have ever done
anything in my entire seventeen years. It was such an amazing piece oI composition that tears oI
joy just about swelled in my eyes at the very sight oI it.


Anals Corrales Pardaway Plgh School Crade 12

I returned to Ms. Atwood`s class the next day with my head held high, and perhaps there
was a smirk upon my Iace as well. I practically witnessed to beast that is procrastination retract
his monstrous claws as he slumped away in deIeat to Iind some other prey to bother due to my
completion oI my paper. I turned in my shining glory oI an essay into the assignment box with
the utmost care, and patted its purple cover as I returned to my seat. Ms. Atwood`s voice then
proclaimed, 'Why I am so excited to see your assignments that I think we should present them!
That was perIectly Iine by me oI course, being as I had completed the assignment beautiIully.
As my classmates revealed their projects to the class, I watched with quiet horror.
Collogues oI black-and-white pictures Irom the World War II era were being presented. It
mattered not how triumphant my completion oI the essay seemed to be, Ior it had been in vain.
The assignment was to complete a 'picture essay which was to have consisted oI pictures Irom
the World War II era, not a research paper.
I sat dejectedly in my seat that day. Not necessarily because I knew I had Iailed the
assignment, but due to my realization oI how easily I could have avoided said Iailure. I can say
Irom experience that Mr. Franklin is more than right in saying that leisure and laziness are two
things. I realize now that I cannot aIIord to sleep whilst there is work to be done, while there is a
liIe to live and responsibilities to uphold. I cannot say that I am the epitome oI a perIect and
punctual student, Ior I am not, but I will say that I strive to mold a work ethic that will repeatedly
slay the beast that is procrastination until one day I will think oI him no more.