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How Much Can You Fit In 24 Hours?

What if one day, out of the blue, you were told you only had 24 hours left to live? What would you do?

Kelsey Swain, Staff Writer

Jan 23, 2024

Graphic created on Canva. Image depicts a clock and says “Twenty-four hours left.”

Imagine you go to the doctors, just for a normal check up. Everything’s going well ‘till your doctor looks down at your chart and looks up at you with a blank expression on their face. You leave the doctors not knowing what to think, just sitting in your car with so many thoughts and scenarios running through your head. How do you tell your family, you only have 24 hours left to live?

“The first thing I would do…probably call my mom,” said freshmen Ja’kya Johnson. “I would try to hang out with as many friends as I need.”

Yes, there will be tears in everyone’s worried eyes as you tell them the news but think of the memories that will be made. The memories that will last in everyone’s hearts forever. The laughs that will fill the room when the tears are dried and the smiles that will fill the gloomy room.

“Spend time with my family and friends,” said Johnson. “Visit people I love.”

Spend time with everyone you love, hug them till they can’t breathe, and make every minute that passes on the clock count.

What about your favorite food? What would your last meal be? Would you go out for a feast? A fancy restaurant that makes your taste buds water or enjoy a home cooked meal that brings back some of your favorite memories?

“I would do a Muckbang,” said sophomore Teagan Cossey. “Cheeseburger, wings, all the unhealthy foods.”

Another question that pops into mind is, would you want to travel? Go to a place that your heart has always seemed to desire or sit at home with your favorite snacks and enjoy your favorite TV show that will make you laugh till your lungs feel like they’re about to burst?

“I would want to go to Jamaica,” said Johnson. “I like their culture and their waters and how they treat people.”

Would you like to do something more relaxing? Like enjoying the sound of the waves and the smell of the salty air?

“I would go to the beach,” said Cossey. “I think I would have time to hit Charleston.”

Thinking about having a short amount of time to live can be scary, heartbreaking, and worrying. Something that can make that short time worth living is doing things that bring you joy and hanging out with friends and family.

“…Just have fun,” said Johnson.

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About the Contributor

Kelsey Swain, Staff Writer

Kelsey Swain is a 16 year old sophomore at West Brunswick and is starting her first semester in journalism. Swain has lived in the same home her whole life here in Brunswick County. She loves the quiet of the area and the convenience of being able to walk to visit friends and family. "Brunswick County is just so quiet," Swain said. "Where I live if four cars go by my house, it's a busy day. There's just something peaceful about it. Laying in the hammock outside and just listening to nature. It's so calming and peaceful." Outside of school Swain loves to dance. She has been dancing for 13 years and has learned many valuable things like persisting even when things are hard. She recently earned a lead role in a major dance performance. She also loves to read and write. She even has a novel in the works. Her favorite genres are thriller and graphic novels. "Dance is freeing," Swain said. "Sometimes the world gets a little too much and I just need to escape. When I dance it feels like I'm in a different world, all my worries just go away. It's great, it's sweet, it's my life and it's beautiful." Her favorite place is the mountains. She visits every year to see the beautiful views, fishing, and visiting the many rivers. She loves the feeling and the smells of being outdoors in the mountains. "The smell of the great smoking mountains is great," Swain said."It's a great place to go and look at the trees, especially in the fall. The rivers are really cold but it's fun it jump on rocks and see where they take you. The adventure feeling the mountains give me, is just a great feeling." She plans to attend Brunswick Community College to get her two year degree and then pursue a future in dance. Swain isn’t sure if she would like to be a professional dancer or open her own dance studio. "Dance has always been there for me," Swain said. "I want to teach kids the same great feeling it has given me. The freedom, the music taking control of your body, and just being you without a care in the world. To learn to be you, even if others think differently. I want kids to feel like them, feel loved when they don't have anyone there for them." Swain signed up for journalism for the opportunity to improve her writing and to learn more about photography and the various other aspects of journalism. "I really joined this class to try and get my writing up to the next level," Swain said. "During Covid-19 I found out that I really liked to write. I have always had a very creative mind, that one day I just decided to put all my creativity onto a piece of paper. I guess that's how you try new things. You just try and see."