Shattered Perspective
In the last several weeks I have traveled a couple thousand miles around the state, met up with old friends I hadn’t seen in months at a sketchy taco restaurant, began my spring semester of classes, learned how to find, then doctor people in avalanches, submitted an application for a summer volunteer position, took part in a university leadership conference, spent quality time with some high school students at camp, sang and danced to some ridiculous songs, shot some killer photos, had my truck window knocked out, went snowboarding—crashed a few times, built closer relationships with my staff members, and set personal goals for the upcoming year.
For many, it seems as if I need to find a better use of my time, or that I should ‘’take some time to relax.” Now, I understand the need for rest, and time to recover, but despite my seemingly overwhelming schedule, I have truly realized something about the person that I am. In all the madness I call life; I have truly learned one of the many secrets to being happy.
I’m not going to give a bulleted or numbered list with the steps, with ways to be happy, because there are already too many self-help/improvement books on the market that will tell you how to do that, and well frankly, I don’t think that they have the necessary information or tools to pursuing a truly fulfilling life. Besides, if you’re trying to put happiness or satisfaction into a box of things that ‘’make you happy,’’ I am sorry to say that you are probably living a boring life.
One of the biggest ways to be happy is to embrace all aspects of life. What I mean by this is to acknowledge both the good and the bad in every situation. Be willing to understand that this life isn’t perfect, that it’s messy, that there are habits we aren’t proud of, that unexpected and unjustified things happen, when emotions grip hold of us, we act without reason and regret the decisions we have made.
Earlier this month, when I returned home from the high school camp I was working with, I found that the side door window of my truck had been shot out with a pellet gun for no apparent reason, since nothing was stolen from the interior. Initially I was mad, and filled my heart with vengeance towards the unknown person who would do such a thing. Aggravated, I filed the police report, and still haven’t heard anything with regards to justice. Over the course of a couple days I was angry at the world, that someone would do something such a horrible to me—a college kid who was spending my time with some high schoolers for the weekend. However, after reflection, time and self evaluation, I began to realize that yes, my window was shattered, and would have to be replaced, but there are much more critical things that I could have been worried about.
My broken truck window was an accurate depiction of my life, and I feel reflects many others as well. We all have brokenness, which we try to repair—in my case using duct tape. But the moment we focus on just the bad things, is when our sense of fulfillment suffers. My side window was broken, but it didn’t prevent me from driving my truck or getting to the places that I needed to be. It was fortunately a back side window, so it wasn’t as crucial to proper vision. Often in life, when things get messed up, or we get put in situations that aren’t comfortable, we have a tendency to focus only on the negative when really there is so much more to understanding the full picture. After learning to understand and recognize the messy elements of the situation but not be offended or distraught over it, you grow intellectually in understanding the fortunate collective side of the situation. By doing this, you can begin to assess what truly matters.
Never take things for granted that can be replaced. Your health, your body, mind and soul is so much more important than that of temperamental physical possessions. Take your cell phone for example, I bet many of you could tell me the exact number of days until you get to upgrade to that new iPhone or Samsung. Or know exactly when that new gaming system gets released. Now I’m aware that technology is an important tool for communication, but think for just a moment—does is really matter? At the end of your life are you going to look back and think, ‘Man—I was so cool because I had the newest phone or computer before everyone else did? Probably not; but if you do, you really need to reevaluate your priorities. One of the most important elements to being happy is to embrace things that really matter. Enjoy the moments where you go get tacos, or pie or ice cream in the middle of the night with your best friends. Take a backpacking trip and jet-boil red beans and rice. Go to a sporting event with your chest painted in your team’s colors. Lose your voice at a concert because you scream all the lyrics to every song. Have shopping cart races in Wal-Mart. Run as far as you can in a freezing cold lake. Share stories of struggle and of victory with those younger than you. Roast marshmallows over the embers a campfire, before sleeping under the stars. Collect stickers from all the places you’ve been. Take hundreds of silly pictures. Have difficult conversations with meaningful mentors in your life, and be real with yourself. The memories you make, experiences you have will last far longer than that of the perception you try and create for others. So if that means turning off Facebook, calling someone instead of texting them, life journaling or otherwise—Do it! Life is so much more than broken glass—it’s about learning how to pick up the pieces.
-Nick
