Why Life is Worth Living

Caught in the mire of the daily grind we all too often overlook the sweet little things that make life worth living in the first place. I think that it is our inherent tendency, as human beings, to speed life up and look ahead to the better times in our future. But as I age, I have begun to wonder- what if those "better times" never come? What if, for the rest of my life, I am treading water, wading waist-deep in a stressful life that I want absolutely nothing to do with? What do I do then? Was all this struggle just a waste of time?

My religious opinions sway with the wind, but I very skeptical of an enjoyable afterlife. All we have is the here and now- and if I am focusing on my future all the time, what is to become of my present? My college years are supposed to be the best times of my life. As of right now, I am enjoying none of my time spent in school- I start every Monday by looking forward to heading back home on Friday.

I just do not have the patience for the life of a student- I want it all right now, or I want nothing. Call it childish, but I am certain the majority of my generation thinks this way. Raised on Cd's, laptops, I-pods, and cosmetic surgery, we know the whole world is just out of our reach, but we refuse to work hard to get what we want. We are not our fathers' sons- we will not live and die for a cause, we will not commit ourselves to an idea, and we sure as hell will not accept anyone else's plan of how we should live our lives. I am just afraid that when I die, my peers will realize that I lived for nothing. My whole life was in anticipation of a utopia that I never arrived at... and I squandered all the potential that was given to me without wasting a thought on how valuable it really was.

The concept of death is such a fickle thing- who's to say that when I'm old I won't embrace the idea of passing on to the next life? All I know is that right now, I am so ignorant of my eventual death that I am wasting day after day doing things I don't want to do.Yet at the same time, I am so cogniscent of my impending doom that I am worried I'm not doing enough to enjoy every day as it passes. It's as if I am being forced to overlook the joys in life, just so I can get good grades and pay the bills. But what is the importance of those things? I mean, really, in the big swing of things, what is getting good grades going to do for me? For the first time in my life, I can see why Henry David Thoreau went and lived amongst nature for a year... and it's taking me all the restraint I have in my body to keep from quitting work and school and finding my own Walden.

To ease my worried mind, I've composed a list of the little things that make the idle seconds of my life enjoyable. Look for these things in your own lives, and feel free to add some of your own when you comment.

I love burning the roof of my mouth on hot coffee. It reminds me that sometimes things we want really badly are too hot to handle, and we need to wait for them or bear the consequences.

I love watching snow fall. It reminds me that everything has a season, and that there will always be an opportunity for a fresh start.

I love losing money in poker when I have the best hand. It reminds me that life is all too often about lucky breaks; the good guys don't always win and hard work is not always paid off.

I love smoking a cigar or cigarette down to the very bottom, so that when I take the last hit, it burns my fingers a little. It reminds me that life is short, and I should enjoy every second of it.

I love watching the sun rise. It reminds me that even in the darkest times of my life, some struggles are definitely worth it.

I love singing out of tune. It reminds me that no one is perfect.

I love sleeping in. It reminds me that most worries are easily overlooked when you can enjoy an extra couple hours of sleep.

I love hangnails. They remind me to have a sense of humor about little things that bother me.

I love making people laugh. It reminds me of all the times someone else has taken away my pain, however briefly, through humor. It helps me realize that life is about making the best of bad situations.

I love writing. It reminds me of how easily I can affect people with the things I do and say.

I love watching cartoons. They remind me of an innocent time in my life when I didn't have any adult things to worry about.

I love thinking about raising children someday. The idea reminds me that perhaps there are some things I have to look forward to.

Maybe things aren't so bad after all. Spring, summer, fall, winter... the seasons of our lives all have an equal importance. It is up to us to seize the moment, forget about what troubles us, and make our days worth living. And remember, even in the most trying of times, life is really, really beautiful.