When you wake up in the morning, what is the first thing that you do?
Check your notifications to see the last message that your peers have sent.
Update your status in social media.
Look at what craziest thing your favorite celebrities have been doing.
Refresh your Netflix queue to see what's the newest episode in your favorite TV show.
What about when you walk outside to grab a cup of coffee and some breakfast?
As you walk to the cafe, you can't help but be overwhelmed with formulas, rules of thumb and impending dates of quizzes. You have to get to that building an hour early to avoid congested crowds. The paper is due by next Wednesday at midnight.
You need to --
STOP!
A college campus is a fast-paced environment where you often have to meet deadlines and expectations of other people. Or in our dorm life, we are obsessed with keeping up to date in what's going on with the world. However, we forget that we still have a lot of time on our hands to walk around our campus. We forget that we live on a campus that offers many things around us to enjoy.
Whenever I was walking around campus, I often noted that the number of people that stop to look at the world around us pales in comparison to the amount of people that are preoccupied with squeezing in enough time to turn in those papers. The amount of people that are too busy to notice what has been growing around campus are the ones to miss out more on the beauty of nature.
But, there's never time to start the habit of disconnecting the bond between you and the outside world. Just take a few minutes to relax. Get some fresh air!
Stop for a while and relax in the grass. Bask in the sun and look up at the clouds. Point out some shapes. Think about your dreams and what you want to do in life. Don't trouble yourself about the assignments that are due or what people expect of you. Let your mind open for those minutes. Appreciate what has been created in this world.
Give thanks to God for putting the people in your life that cares about you. Send some positive thoughts and prayers to your family back at home. Wish your friends success in those careers. Read a good book underneath a tree.
Take pictures of anything that strikes your interest. What do you notice has stood out to you? It is a fun activity to take pictures of things that you see. You will thank yourself later when you come across those relaxing photos and think about the time you had spent.
Life may be busy, but taking time in spending little moments with nature is something that shouldn't be taken for granted. Long after those carefree days are gone and you find yourself in a working environment, the longing to spend more moments in nature may just be minimal.
So while you are in college, keep this in mind. The world is yours. God had created all of these trees, flowers and lakes for us to enjoy. Like an artist creating his masterpiece, the purpose of nature is to let other people to enjoy it. Not to let it go by ignored.
"Just living is not enough... one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower."
- Hans Christen Andersen
