The Small Difference of a Daily Routine Can Make a Big Difference

By Julia Druker

“The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine,” Mike Murdock. No matter what we do in the morning, we always try to have some sort of pattern. It can get chaotic if we don’t stick to a routine. Everyone’s daily routines are different. Try as we might, we can’t completely copy someone else’s routine. Everyone’s routines are different, and they don’t define us, but they are a big part of us.

It’s the time of the American Revolutionary war. Imagine a ten year old boy, named Jim, living in Alabama. Jim’s family is living on a wealthy family’s land. His parents work everyday for food. Jim wakes up at 4 am from sleeping in the barn. He rubs his eyes to see his to-do list. Thirty things on his list, and only eighteen hours to do it. He gets up, because he knows he has to get moving. He grabs the food he can find. It’s a race to finish his work in time, everyday. A never ending community service project. He wishes he could join the army to at least be a message carrier, but he knows he can’t. Even though he dreams about leaving, he wants to be obedient and loyal. After he has finished his work, it is very late. Off to the barn he goes to sleep, and dread the next day to come.

Now, go into the present time. I wake up to my mom bringing in my cat. I hold him till I feel ready to get up. I tell my mom what I’m feeling like for breakfast, and start getting ready. After figuring out my outfit, I go downstairs to find a hot breakfast waiting for me. Eating my delicious breakfast gives me strength for the day. Hopefully by then, my brother is out of the shower. If he is not, I yell at him. If he is, I go in and brush my teeth. I fix up my hair, and get my phone. If I have time, I’ll do a quick check of my notifications. Otherwise, I just get my socks, jacket, and shoes on. It depends if my mom or dad is taking me if I leave now. If my mom is taking me, we have a good ten more minutes left. If my dad is taking me, chances are, he’s probably already in the car. Even though, I have school starting soon, I try to rest on the car ride. I put in my headphones and tune out the sound of cars at rush hour.

Once at school, I talk to my friends. I dread the moment that Chris Bell puts on her headphones and walks to the enormous bell. After five classes, my school day is done. I either go to one of my activities or go home. Eventually I come home, and start my homework. Usually, it doesn’t take me very long, so I’m done before dinner. After dinner, I just relax and enjoy the fact that my day is done. I watch tv and go to bed.

As you can probably tell, our lives are very different today. We still deal with controversies. With the internet, we can see what is going on in the world, by a push of a button. Children, in our world, are in general more lazy than children in the Revolutionary War. Boys joined the army as soldiers at 16 and boys at the age of 7, could be message carriers or drummers. Even though we have a better education system now, children worked harder. What would you rather do? Spend a day in different classrooms and getting breaks or eighteen hours of work in the hot sun?

Sources:

"American Revolution." For Kids: Daily Life During the Revolutionary War. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.

Photos: 

"A Point of View: Why Gardening Is Really about Digging Your Own Grave - BBC News." BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.

"Alarm Clock." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2016.