This past weekend, the weather began its transition into warmer temperatures. With this in mind, I wanted to take full advantage of the refreshing change. So, my friend and I slathered on some sunscreen, grabbed our blankets and sprawled out on an open field on campus. There was something comforting about lying on a blanket and gazing at the clear, blue sky. It got me thinking that slowing down and enjoying life often gets lost amongst the hustle and bustle of our daily lives.
On Snapchat, I follow Justin Baldoni, an actor from one of my favorite shows, "Jane the Virgin." In one of his snaps, he was caught up in traffic and explained how inconvenient it was, but he also said that traffic was a blessing. It gave him time to slow down and gather his thoughts -- to think about what was really important in his life. I assume that people very rarely find traffic a blessing and often find it a nuisance. But, he has a point. We always think about the next thing we have to do.
Everyone is in a rush to be somewhere or to meet someone, and this has an immense impact on our daily attitude. The stress and anger that our society has are evident. Just take a drive in your car and you will notice the effects of our fast-paced society. People are just more pissed off. The stress of school, work, money, family, friends, etc. has essentially made us zombies. At what cost? We're overtired, overworked, underpaid and it makes us stressed and angry. Everyone is constantly treading water just to stay afloat in this world and it can get hard.
What if we just stopped in our tracks? What if we took a moment to think about what is really important? Life is so much more than having money, power, and success. It's about spending time with people you love and who love you back, having amazing experiences, creating memories and learning about yourself along the way. It's easy to lose yourself in all of the garbage that goes on.
Instead of wearing yourself out treading water just to keep from drowning, try floating on your back for a little while. It's nice, I promise.