Slow Down And Enjoy Life!

Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.

What do you imagine when you think of summer? When I think of summer, I picture relaxing days sitting in a lounge chair by the lake, soaking up the sunshine while reading the latest novel by Jamie McGuire. As I began this summer without a job, I slowly realized this could potentially become my reality. I’m not quite sure what happened, but this has not been remotely close to my life the past two months.

Let me tell you a little bit about myself this summer, as I’m currently taking an online class and working five part-time jobs. Yes, I did say five. I’m waitressing, subbing at a school aged care center, babysitting for two families, umpiring youth softball, and working with several young softball pitchers in the area. It’s not uncommon for me to work a 14 hour day, so you can see why it is getting to be a bit of a struggle to maintain my workout schedule and get enough sleep.

There comes a point in everyone's life where you are just over your head and you want to give up on everything you've been working on because you are so stressed out you don't even know if the result is worth it anymore. Lately I’ve come to the point where I’ve reached my breaking point and have the strong desire to quit everything and lie in my bed and sleep for days. Everyone has those days, weeks, or maybe even months, but it's important to understand that no matter how difficult and long the period, you WILL get through it. I recognized that no matter how tired you are or what you're going through, you will survive it. Everything in life will balance out in the end so there's no point in complaining about a demanding week or worrying about it because eventually everything will work out. You’ve probably heard the quote: “Stress is not what happens to us. It’s our response to what happens and response is something we can choose.” Maureen Killoran

One event can change your life but one event doesn't define your life. No matter what happens in your life and how many wrong turns it can go down, remember that it is still just a little bump in the road. No matter how rough it may seem, always keep a positive attitude on everything going on in your life. Often, a positive point of view is all it takes to change your outlook on certain situations.

While there are only a few weeks left of my summer I plan to finish it a little different than the way I started it, because sometimes the best way to appreciate something is to be without it for a while. No, I don’t plan on dropping everything and escaping to the lake, as appealing as that may sound. I truly believe there are many cherished moments that are missed due to the stress and fast pace of our daily living. So, I do plan on slowing down slightly so I can take some time to appreciate all of those around me and remember where I’m going and why. Most importantly, while pursuing my dreams I plan to enjoy life, since life is made up of many special moments which make it worth living!