Spring break has ended. Some of us decided to take a trip with friends and family to the beach, others attempted to work a bit to stuff more money into our savings before we head out into the real world, a few of us sat in our rooms doing absolutely nothing (which is much more enjoyable than it sounds), and, if you're like me, you used your time to catch up on school work. No matter how you chose your time, it's over and you'll have to wait until summer to have this much free time again.
If you get one thing from this article, it should be the fact that we all need to slow down, sit down, and look around. For the past three weeks I feel like every time someone asked me how I was doing I replied with, “Great! I'm just trying to make it to spring break though.” Every single time someone agreed with me. Why are we always trying to get to the next step of our life? I just want to get to fall break, Christmas break, summer. Maybe you're the person who thinks life will be better when you get a job, get married or turn 21. I may be young, but I have learned a few things. One of the most important things is when you hit that next big milestone—it's great for a day, or maybe a week, if you're lucky. Then life goes straight back to normal.
We all have issues. That's what life is made of. Matthew 6:34 says, “So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.” Trouble never ends even when you make it to the next stage.
Now believe me when I say we should be excited for the milestones. I'm excited to have a career, a home, to relax in the warm summer and to have a wife and kids! Our trouble comes when we become absent in the present to become mentally present in the future. You miss so many good things. Do me a favor. Go outside. Look at the beautiful, blue sky and the gorgeous clouds. Listen and dance to a great song. Call your girlfriend, your family, your friends and tell them you appreciate them. Eat dinner with them and actually put your phone away to focus on how great they are.
So yes, spring has sprung. Yes, summer break is a month away. Sure, you have school work to do and a million chores to take care of. You can never get today back though. Once this hour passes, and once this day fades into yesterday, it's gone forever, so make the most of it. Everyone knows not to live in the past. It's gone. So why live in the future because it's not here yet. If you do that, when tomorrow actually comes you'll miss it looking for the day after that. Be present. Enjoy where you are. Slow down. Sit down. Look around.
