CW - Take Five

It's common for people to take a break or two during work. Maybe it's because they need some air or a snack, or maybe they just need to go to the bathroom. Some people even take a break to have a chat about what they plan to do when they get out of work. But when's the last time someone's ever taken a break from everything? When have people ever just put their stuff down, sat on a couch, and just thought about good life is?
Marching band's always been a tough program in my school. During most of my time with them, we have been one of the best marching bands in the state. Now how does that happen? I think that it's because marching band here is a year-long program. That's right: we start our seasons in June just before the previous school year is over and we end our seasons in May on Memorial Day. We don't have many rehearsals during June and July, but we have a week-long Band Camp the first full week of August and then the rehearsals take over our lives. We rehearse Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM and then on Saturdays from 8:00 AM to 4:00PM. We lose Saturday rehearsals when the competition season is over, and then things die down after the Christmas Parade. Then there are two or three rehearsals a month until our final performance in May on Memorial Day. Then those that can do it again join next year's band the following month and start all over again.
During these hours of rehearsal, we learn our drill for our shows so that the audiences and judges watching us can see what story we are portraying. Sometimes, we have to learn dances or special drill that goes with the story. We also learn the music we must play for the show as well as incorporate the music into the drill so that we can march and play music at the same time.
But it is wise in all of our rehearsals and days to have a break every now and then. During rehearsals, we usually have a break every 45 minutes to get water, go over the drill or the music, and even talk to friends about things outside of band. And on Saturdays, we have an hour for lunch between 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to eat and relax, even if some of us decide to play some Ultimate Frisbee instead. It gives us a chance to be ourselves, enjoy life, and be with each other for real and not just for a rehearsal.
Those breaks allow us to be the family that some of us don't have. I know people in my marching band that joined to get away from bad things in their lives. Some people don't have the best families, and sometimes they need a break from them. For even an activity like marching band, football, drama, and even anime club is considered a break from their lives. It's something that they can go to because when life brings them down, it's something that can bring them back up. I consider marching band a break from the reality that is my life. It's something I've used as an escape for almost six full years.
Sometimes, when I think about it, a break can appear in any way. Maybe it's an acceptance to college or a job. It could be someone taking your place in a game so that you can get a drink and sit down for a bit. Even a vacation is a week or more of a break from work. I do know that we Marching Spartans receive these things. When 'Disney's Magic Music Days' comes around every three years, we get to have three to four days off of school which is nice because in the time that this event happens, school and life will have stressed us out considerably. But one of the biggest breaks that people can get is summer vacation. Even if it's only for students, teachers, professors, and other people involved with schools and colleges, it's still a good break for them.
Now I wonder what would happen if everyone in the world took a break from what they were doing for five minutes. What would happen? My biggest theory is that we would all become more relaxed than we were before. We would have a casual chat with people and, hopefully, it would not be aggressive. We would all just think for one moment that life is perfect and that nothing could be better right now. For once, we would all be happy.