I am writing this editor’s note on a plane about thirty thousand feet above the earth, going from California to Chicago. The air seems fresher, sweeter, and brighter up here. Perhaps there’s something about being slightly removed from land that gives you a certain sort of clarity.
When this second issue is published, we’ll already be nearing the end of our fourth week of school. Many people reading this will already be drenched in schoolwork and stress. From class projects to career crises, to loved ones gained or lost–it feels like there are a thousand tasks to complete, a million things to worry about.
But being thirty thousand feet above land affords you enough solitude to forget about those things for a little while. And right now, I will try to take in this small moment. I feel that I’ve been on-the-go for such a long time and, this year, I would like to learn how to take a break and actually stop to appreciate life.
I used to believe that life was mostly for work and only a little bit for enjoyment. If I wasn’t constantly being productive, what was I doing with my time? Idleness could not be tolerated lest I fall behind or miss out on good opportunities. I’ve since come to the shocking conclusion that this is not actually the case. (It took me stress-vomiting into a plastic bag this past summer to finally realize it.)
See, I agree that life goes fast—but I don’t agree that it always goes as fast as we sometimes think. We have time to slow down–you have time to slow down. I know it often doesn’t seem that way–but please believe that you are allowed to do things that make you happy, and you are allowed to take breaks. You are not wasting time doing these things. If you struggle to let your guard down, burn out frequently, or feel unhappy with your life’s current state, you probably need to do these things.
So park your car by the lake and take a Sabbath-afternoon nap. Go for a walk on the trails behind University Towers. Have a picnic on the beach, text your friend about hanging out. Have a good conversation, or perhaps sit in peaceful silence. Lie down on your bed, pop in your earbuds, and soak in some good music. Play some sports, if that helps you relax. (According to the good-natured shouting I hear in the evenings, it seems to be softball season.)
As young people especially, I think we often feel the need to constantly go, to always be moving forward in some way. And it’s great to have drive and ambition–but if you want to live a life that you also enjoy, you have to balance that drive for productivity with a drive for rest.
When this plane lands, I know my instinct will be to hit the ground running again. So this is a reminder for me as well as you: a good work ethic and efficiency are great attributes to have, but sometimes life is simply about enjoyment. Let yourself do things just for the sake of doing them, not because they’re on your to-do list. Be with people you love just for the sake of spending quality time with them, not because you need to finish a group project or attend a meeting. Not everything you do must have a driven purpose or fulfill a major life goal. It’s not a waste of time to simply be present in a moment. So try to enjoy life today. Experiment, explore, and love. Go on adventures. You have so much ahead of you. And you have time.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.