snails

As usual, the HP Alliance has given me something to think about yet again.

Stress is a ridiculously popular norm in our society. And by norm, I mean it’s such a fad that no one recognizes it as one. Think about it. Every day you probably wake up and think “It’s time already?”, and then you flee out the door to wherever your day begins. From there, endless amounts of stress are ladled onto your plate from unnecessary sources. Maybe you have an intimidating first job interview, maybe you’re worried about the cost of your dream vacation for the holiday seasons, or maybe you’re just focused on getting into the right college, no matter how many states or countries separate you from it.

In fact, you might just be worried about all three things. And to me, that seems pretty ridiculous. Why? If you think about it, you’re putting the stress on yourself. Society does play an enormous role, letting you know just what celebrities are vacationing where and for how much money, force feeding you knowledge of luxuries you’ll surely never have, and scaring you into firmly believing that no matter what you try, you’re going to fail.

So you reach for the stars. You go and pick out all of these different activities, classes, even extracurricular things - and you don’t realize it at the time, but they’re going to take over your life. They’re going to boggle you down between the mattress and the boxspring and squeeze the air out of you. They’ll strip you of your social life and everything you appreciated before you got to be such a busy bee. And good luck trying to squeeze out, because by the time you do you’ll be flat as a pancake.

How can you be both busy and stress-free, you ask? It’s not possible. Which is why I strive for a life of tranquility and peace, and the HPA just made me realize this. I’m not too lazy or too quiet or too boring. I’m just living my life at a slower pace than most of you crazed folk who are on the go 24/7. I’m saying goodbye to my days like a snail, and I’m learning to love every minute of it. All I need is another snail to say hello to every morning when I get out of bed and try not to yell at my alarm clock.