A few weeks ago, I was on the phone with my dad. I kept going on about how much schoolwork I had, how busy my days were, and how I never quite found enough time for myself. I told him my worries about the future—getting an internship this summer, graduate school, a job, etc. Everything seemed so overwhelming.
My dad told me that life isn’t always about all those things I was worrying about. Life is about living. Before we said goodbye, he told me to check Facebook in a few minutes. He posted the opening monologue from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” on my timeline. If you haven’t seen the movie, I recommend it.
Ferris’s advice sums up what my dad was trying to communicate to me pretty well: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Image Credit: Quotes Young
Any person can become immersed in their lives or work or school and miss the world turning around them. But I think college students in particular struggle with this. Schoolwork, clubs, sports, activities, friends, relationships, jobs… There is always something to do or somewhere to be or someone to see.
Ferris’s advice to “stop and look around” may seem like a waste of time when the to-do list is filled, there is no certain job or internship in sight, practice is in ten minutes, and homework is piling up. But I encourage you to take his advice, even if it is just for a moment. Look up at the sky and appreciate its beauty. Put off homework until later and go out with your friends. Turn off your computer or TV and pick up a book. Stop worrying about the future and worry about what song to play next.
Image Credit: Pinterest
Think about what really matters to you in life. What is the purpose of all this running around? Where is all of this homework leading to? The truth is, of course school and getting a job are important and take serious consideration, but they are not everything. The purpose of your life is not to do well in school or to get a job. You are called to live, to love, and to be loved. School and work can contribute to this purpose, but they are not the end-all be-all of life.
Image Credit: Pinterest
Personally, it’s hard to stop moving and working. My days seem filled to the brim with assignments and work. But the magic of it all is that one way or another, it gets done. And worrying about the future is pointless; the only time we have is now. The future will come. But right now, I’m going to stop and look around at the life around me.
HCXO,
Zelie