8 months ago...Time passes us by

We go through life day by day, struggling through the tough ones and wishing that the wonderful ones wouldn't end quite so soon. Somehow time seems to pass us by. Just 8 months ago, I was entering my freshman year of college, not knowing what to expect or how I was going to adjust to the new life I had to create for myself. Now 8 months later, I have built a family for myself here, and it seems as if I have known my friends forever. Looking back at the beginning, I thought I was never going to find a group of friends as strong as the ones that I have back at home because those friendships were built on years together. Before I knew it, the friends and family that I have established at Lehigh built a strong bond based on less than a year knowing one another.

Time passes us by. We wake up every morning, go to work or school, and await the next day when we have something to look forward to and keep us going. While some of us go through life in this monotonous pattern, others live for change and adventure. During the past 8 months, I have experienced some of the greatest changes and tackled daring adventures.

Nonetheless, 8 months ago, I was a different person. Yes, I still have the same appearance and mannerisms. But, the way I carry myself has changed; my interactions with people have changed; my outlook on life has changed. We don't realize what is happening - that we are living our lives, adapting to our new surroundings, growing as people.

While talking with juniors and seniors, I was told that college goes by so fast and to enjoy every moment of it. Get involved in as much as you can. Don't sit back as a passive observer but stay engaged and active in your life. Even just the first year has flashed before my eyes. While I remember saying farewells to my friends and parting ways with my mom in August, they seem like distant memories and a part of a separate me, a separate identity and life. When our lives seem like they are passing by too fast, just remember all that we have achieved, the moments that we have enjoyed, and the great extent to which we have grown.

Pause the Thoughts

Stop. Take a deep breath. And try to remember the last time you breathed without thinking about anything. For most people, we hardly ever are breathing without thinking about something, whether it be I wonder if my shoes are on the wrong feet because people are giving me funny looks to What is my schedule like tomorrow? to When will she give us our tests back? The anxiety is killing me. Our lives these days are jam-packed. People don't make phone calls sitting down at a desk with their mind only on that matter anymore; now we talk to our mothers and our clients while getting a latte, while reading a magazine, while driving, while working out even. In this day in age, we have adapted ourselves to be able to multitask in order to get everything done in our busy lives. Usually, we think of multitasking as a positive quality to have. And while it can become useful at times, it often allows us to not completely absorb the moment that we are in. Instead of steering all of our attention at one activity, we allocate minimal attention to multiple activities.

One activity that I have recently took on since returning home for winter break is yoga. While yoga may not be the toughest physical activity, it is one of the most challenging mental activities. At my first yoga class, the most important thing I learned was six breaths in, seven breaths out. During that hour, I relaxed and was able to breathe without thinking about anything else. I focused my mind entirely on what I was doing at that moment. Between my deep breaths I was able to forget the world, the reality. It was like pausing life - putting it on hold until you were ready to start again.

Now I am able to appreciate my breaths of silence, without any thoughts interrupting my breathing. Sometimes concentrating on a single activity makes us cherish it even more than before because we notice aspects that we missed previously. For me, I realized the importance of taking a step back from life and letting yourself catch up. Don't be afraid to push the pause button every now and then.