The other day, I was driving back home from the gym, rushing to make it back so I could get all my work and studying in for a sufficient night of sleep. It was starting to get late and I was speeding on the highway, when I noticed ahead there was construction on the road which I turned on to get home. First off, I'm the type of guy who plans out his schedule perfectly and has to abide by that, and if things get pushed back or fall out place I begin to panic and get really upset. I had my day planned out and it was really packed, so seeing this detour, which made me turn onto another highway and go the complete opposite way, I usually wouldn't be too happy. But something had clicked when I was turning onto the detour road, something that I realized was so important.
My week had been so focused on trying to plan my schedule and perfectly finish all of my responsibilities on time, I had lost all focus on living in the moment. It was one of the times of my life where I realized what "living in the moment" meant to ME. We see and hear it all the time in videos, podcasts, movies, and even Odyssey articles, but do we really know what that means? Does it have any special place in your heart, when it means to fully live in the moment?
Our society is so focused on this future time where we forget the present. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America states that
"85% of college students reported they had felt overwhelmed by everything they had to do at some thing they had to do within the past year."
Is that not crazy?? In a room of 100 people, only 15 will feel as if they weren't stressed or overwhelmed by anything in the past YEAR. Our society pushes us to move forward with a full head of steam, and many of us who follow this, living by our expectations set up completely by society's expectations, living like a robot almost. Sometimes our society focuses so much on preparation, we forget appreciation.
Back to my car ride, with my schedule getting pushed back: I took this detour as a metaphor. I turned my music and just let everything in the past week and the past few months soak in. I stopped rushing and trying to readjust my plans, but took this opportunity to just appreciate my surroundings, the weather, my family, my friends, my community, my church, my education, my job, my success, my failure, and my emotions. I had realized in this moment that everything in my life was burdening me and it was so overwhelming to juggle with classes, friends, church, work, and writing, and go every single day with full engine trying to plan out everything accordingly. Living in the moment to me meant just taking a breath, looking at my surroundings and just putting on pause all my thoughts and responsibilities. I could just appreciate and thank what I had now, all the good and all the bad, rather than plan and prepare and push forward.
So with all that, I challenge you, whoever is reading this, to find what living in the moment means to you. I challenge you to understand the value in appreciation, because it comes a long way. Especially those of you applying to college next fall, I bet you're all freaking out or are super worried about what you want to do in life or where you are going to go, and trust me, the application process is much harder when you're only focused on the future. Reflect. Don't be afraid to think about the past, what you have learned, and how you have grown. Think about the things in your life now, what makes you passionate, what makes you the person you are today. Don't waste your life preparing and living tomorrow, because that day may not come.
Like in Matthew 6:34, "don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries."
