Highway Flowers
There are moments in life where all we want to do is just go to sleep to avoid them. I don’t know about you, but I’ve taken so many naps just because I just can’t face the responsibility at hand or the situations I’m dealing with. Some days, I literally lie in bed in the morning and stare at the ceiling because the thought of being an adult and facing my problems and interacting with people I really don’t like is just exhausting and to be frank, disgusting. Sound familiar?
It’s normal to want to move on from those moments, to want to escape reality. Going on a tangent here, I think that is why the arts were created; to be an escape from reality. Think about it for a second with me. You read books to dive into a world that seems so much better than the one you’re living in. You paint beautiful pictures of romance and love because you’re lacking it in your own life. You listen to music to enhance the moments you’re in. When you’re sad and overcome with emotion, you blast Olivia Rodrigo’s new album because Screw Him. The arts simply make you feel empowered and free.
However, life is not that simple. We can’t just wave a magic wand and make all our problems disappear. This isn’t Harry Potter. There is no spell to cure cancer or fix a broken bone or mend a broken heart. We unfortunately have to do everything ourselves. And if you’re anything like me, someone who struggles with the simplest tasks, those problems grow bigger and bigger right before our eyes until we feel like we are drowning.
It’s easy to say life will get better and life will carry on etc blah blah blah. It’s easy to say that the next chapter of our lives will bring more happiness, because it is the future. The future is unknown. That is what is so appealing. It is a blank chapter in the book of your life that only you get to write.
However, there is danger in wishing your life away for something better. Not to sound like I’m from 2012 or whenever YOLO was a trend, but it’s true. You only live once. We know we have one life. We know we get one chance on earth to make our mark. So why do we spend half of our lives wishing it away instead of focusing on the now?
I myself spent my whole life waiting for the next greatly anticipated chapter, that I forget to enjoy the moment I was actually living in. It was always “I can’t wait for high school, middle school sucks.” “I can’t wait for college, high school sucks.” And now? I’m repeating the vicious cycle. I can’t even count how many times I have remarked to people, “I can’t wait for med school, college sucks.” What is wrong with me? Have I learned nothing? How many moments have I missed in life because I spent time thinking about bigger and better things? Did I not make a lifelong friend because I was so caught up in my own drama? Did I miss moments with family that I spent instead isolated in my room? What more will I miss if I continue to live like this?
If you spend all your time focusing on that next step, you miss the good things that can happen along the way. It’s easy to say that you want to skip to the part of your life where you’re happy, with a family maybe or traveling the world or at your dream job, but if you don’t face the ugly parts of life that can quite possibly rip you to shreds, you lose a certain maturity and growth that is gained from experiencing the good, the bad, and the freaking UGLY.
It’s good to think about your goals and dreams for the future but unfortunately, not everything goes to plan. Not trying to get all morbid on you but really, one minute you could be laughing with your best friends or family or the love of your life and the next moment you’re crying at their grave. Life passes by in the literal blink of an eye. You never know what day is someone’s last (or YOUR last) You need to enjoy the moment. If you spend time mourning what life could have been life, you miss your own reality. You miss time you could have spent with your friends or family or the love of your life. Time that even in the darkest moments, could be joyous. You miss those moments that you surely will regret having when one day, everyone you love is gone.
If you spend time thinking about the worst thing that could possibly happen, you miss making memories that you will surely cherish. Even if your life is absolutely miserable, is it better to shut down or stand out? I spent so many years dwelling in my sadness and misery that I missed out on simply living. What good did it do me focusing on all the bad things that had happened to me. What would life had been like if instead of directing all my energy on everything bad, I focused instead on what was good? I have a loving family. I have really cute pets. I have an amazing boyfriend. I am able to pursue my education and follow my dreams. What more could I want? Sure, I am not a rich billionaire and I have about 5 cents in my bank account. Yeah, I haven’t traveled the entire world. I probably won’t have the job I want (AKA getting paid to travel the world and write about what I see) But, I still have things that I most definitely take for granted. I can see the sunset every night. I can hug my parents and grandparents, something that some people sadly don’t get to do. All things considered; I am pretty lucky. I’m not saying this to brag, but instead trying to put things into perspective.
It is important to live your life to the fullest and not dwell on things that hurt. We take a lot of things for granted in our everyday lives. (the opportunity to go to school for example) We need to really stand up for ourselves and fight for the lives we are given, even if they are really, utterly, and completely full of shit. We didn’t get to choose the situations we are born into, but we most definitely get to choose what we do with it.
Make up for that lost time. Call that friend you haven’t seen in 3 months or longer. Spend time with your family because they’re all you got. Make time for people who matter for you because one day you won’t get that time and you’ll regret it. So, enjoy the moment. Savor the sandwich or whatever. Stop on the side of the highway and pick some flowers to make someone (or yourself) smile.
Treasure the little things in life.
