The beauty of the Pursuit of Happiness is that no matter who you are, where you live, what you know, when you were born, or who you love, you can be happy. True happiness is above the five W’s and so are you. Learn how to find happiness in the good and bad times of life. Believe it. Read it. Be happy.
Joe Douglas
– Editor-in-Chief –
For some people, including me, taking a break from routine schedules can be difficult to do, if not impossible. We bury ourselves deep in responsibilities and following predictability to the point life becomes mundane and repetitive. It’s class Monday through Friday and working when not in school. Weekends become a time to socialize, play video games, and/or catch up on homework; but whatever we do one weekend, it tends to repeat the next weekend, and the following weekend, until a pattern of “same old, same old” develops.
Routine is so predictable and scheduled, it’s comfortable. But we’re so afraid of changing the routine, we become worried, scared, or lost when the routine changes.
My parents scheduled a vacation for last weekend in Florida. When they told me about it the first time, I was really worried. It’s right in the middle of school, and I thought I was going to fall behind. I thought about all of the homework I would need to make up. When vacation came, I packed all of my books for all of my classes, and was planning on doing homework all weekend.
After two days in Florida, I’d made no progress on my school work. The days were packed with exciting activities and new places, and I forgot about the work I needed to do. Come Sunday, I finally took time to catch up on homework.
But, I felt refreshed and energized. By turning everyday routine to time away, I saw there was much more to life than school, work, video games and television.
“Time away” doesn’t mean a trip to the Bahamas or California to get away. It’s about time away from the routine, from the mundane and déjà vu that comes from same old, same old. It means trying something new or doing something you haven’t done in a while.
Sometimes we are forced out of routine, and it’s uncomfortable. This comes in the form of being given homework assignments that require interviewing someone; getting a call from mom or a roommate to pick up some flour on the way home from work or school; or even getting fired. These are all often unsettling detours from routine.
Time away comes in many forms. Whether “good” or “bad,” all time away can be taken advantage of. When taking time off of work or school, you’re making time. When “forced” out of routine, you’re given time. Take advantage of these breaks in the everyday, and use this time away to dedicate to your own personal wants and needs.
Don’t watch television if that’s routine. Don’t read if you read every night or every other night (but don’t neglect homework; read if you need to read).
Don’t go to the bar this Friday night. Instead, try new things, whatever they may be. The experiences and knowledge that come from the variety of activities you are exposed to will make you feel reborn.
You have the right to pursue happiness.
Take it. Enjoy it. Be happy.
