Sometimes, I—like nearly every other college student I know—procrastinate. That’s why I’m sitting here, a few hours before the Holcad deadline, trying to think of a way to be inspiring. At the beginning of the year, I made a list of potential topic ideas that I could write about. As I pulled up that document a few minutes ago, I saw a very terse bullet point: “Live in the right now.” This, I can work with.
Last weekend, I was feeling incredibly overwhelmed with all of the “stuff” I had to do. Between school work, extra activities, and various applications, I was pretty intent on locking myself in Browne 202 until everything was done. But sometimes, life gets in the way.
When Sunday afternoon rolled around and I looked at my unaltered To-Do List, I couldn’t help, but for a moment, feel panic. My life has been defined by organization. I’ve always got a list and I’ve always got a plan. And while I understand that “great organizational skills” might be a fun bragging point on a resume, [don’t worry, I went to the Career Centre and found out it’s actually not], I realized that sometimes, I have to live in the “right now.”
The right now is what is happening all around us every day. I was talking with a friend recently who mentioned that she sometimes uses the ten minute walk between classes to check her phone. We then talked about how much you miss in those ten minutes if you’re glued to a 4 by 2 inch screen. Living in the right now requires logging off of Facebook and turning off your cell phones. Go to dinner with your friends and leave your phone in the room. You’ll be amazed at how much you’ve been missing.
The second you stop planning every second and every detail of your life is the second you truly begin to live. Going to the West Middlesex Diner at midnight on a Thursday wasn’t part of my “plan” for that night. It wasn’t on my To-Do List. But when life throws you an opportunity to go on a spontaneous adventure with your best friends how can you possibly turn that down?
I’m not saying to blow off all your obligations and scholarly duties—don’t worry, I did get everything done, or at least, I’m working on it—I’m simply saying it’s okay to just live sometimes. Currently, my right now is this column. That’s the only thing in the world I have to worry about. When I submit this in a couple minutes, my right now will move on to something else. Something else that I can give my undivided attention to. Because living in the right now isn’t thinking about what papers you haven’t written or applications you haven’t submitted. Living in the right now is stopping to look around every once in a while. Living in the right now is taking in the moment for all it is worth and simply enjoying where you are, wherever that may be.
I guess what I’m trying to say is look around sometimes. Life is happening right now, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to miss it.
Love always,
Liz