We’re back for our second season of 250 words, a series whereby the RU Student Life writers are posed a question, and in 250 words they each offer their insights.
Question 10:Â What makes you get up in the morning?
Stefanie:Â Keeping Promises To Myself
The first thing that came to my mind was my mom. For as long as I can remember she would come into my room and wake me up in the morning. If I didn’t want to get up, she would force me. If I were running late, she would rush me out the door. But last year — when I moved out for the first time — there was no one there to make sure I woke up, and made it (on time) to wherever I had to be.
And so, the bigger question prevails; what really makes me get up in the morning? That’s where my personal goals come in. When my mom wasn’t there anymore I found myself sleeping in, not going to the gym, and skipping classes. By the time second semester rolled around I was feeling lazy, unproductive and BORED. I walked straight to MUJI on Dundas Street and bought myself a note pad with little boxes beside neat lines and wrote a few things down.  I made a mental note that I wasn’t going to skip classes, I was going to be on time and I was going to go to the gym (at least twice a week).
These three mental goals – as simple as they seem – are what kept me from falling back into my lethargic ways. I owed it to myself to follow through with the promises I made. Just like I wouldn’t back down on a promise between friends, I would never back down on a promise to myself. Oh, and the checklist helped, too.
Jessica:Â Resilience and a New Day
On a daily basis, the sound of my alarm clock ringing several volumes too high than my dazed and confused state can realistically handle tends to get me up and going. Unless it’s my day off, I push myself through my groggy state and (somehow) make myself (somewhat) presentable to the world (…sometimes). It’s impossible for me to honestly share what makes me get up every morning without knowing that at one point in my life it felt like nothing could. There are blurs in my memory moving between sleep and wake. I was a black hole, collapsing in on myself for far too long. Every morning was a struggle.
Happily, I can now say that getting up every morning, knowing I have the resilience to make a series of choices everyday, drives me to tackle my responsibilities, follow through with commitments, and move through life embracing the unknown. What makes me get up? Waking up. The life I created for myself. The relationships I formed and maintain. The relationships I will form and maintain. The undiscovered and the knowns, along with the “we will never know.” Learning and unlearning: changing. The bad, the good, and the downright ugly.
Some days, the existence of a certain person, a song, a piece of artwork, a quote, or even leftover pizza is enough. Realizing that my life is the biggest and most important art project I will ever work on makes me get up in the morning. My belief is that life imitates art.
Sunita: What Time is it Back Home?
In those few blissful seconds of waking up, my mind is empty and I think I’m in my bedroom at home. I anticipate the clatter in the kitchen of my mother making breakfast and the sound of my brother’s footsteps on the stairs. Then I realize I’m in Toronto, and everything I ask myself, I ask myself twice. I not only think “What time is it?” but “What time is it at home in Ireland?”
The main thing that gets me up every morning is knowing my mother is waiting on my call. The first thing I do when I wake up is message her. I think of all the things I need to do, which can be exhausting and overwhelming and make me just want to stay in bed. But I know I am here for a purpose, because I did not leave my family behind for nothing. I have ambitions to pursue and dreams to chase, and most importantly, people to make proud.
It’s sometimes the big things, like a concert I’m looking forward to or a vacation coming up. But mostly, on a daily basis, it’s the little things. It’s the cup of tea I know I’m going to have in 10 minutes. It’s the need to listen to my favourite songs while I get ready. It’s the episode of Gilmore Girls waiting for me to watch as I have my breakfast. But most of all, what gets me out of bed every morning is myself, the desire to live the life I have created, and the quiet persistence of a voice that tells me to keep on going.
So, what gets you out of bed in the morning? How do you start your day? Let us know @RUStudentLife or send us an email at rustudentlife@gmail.com or FB message of your own 250 Words.
In the 250 Words series, one question is posed to the RU Student Life bloggers, who each provide their own perspective. Read more 250 Words questions and responses here.
