Our lives tend to be overwhelmed with to-do lists. We make lists upon lists of people to call, emails to write, tasks to complete, things to remember; it seems never ending. When I lay my head down at night my mind is often still racing, running through the responsibilities of the coming day. We finish one task, make a check off the list and then promptly move on to the next. Some phases of life are just going to be plain busy, there’s really no way around it.

Often times, these ceaseless to-do lists can put a damper on a good celebration. When we think of celebrations we generally tend to focus on the calendar holidays. We usually don’t have any problem stepping out of our routine for the day and celebrating times like Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. But what about a Friday afternoon spent away from any screen? That would do it for me I think, or like the trip I went on a few weeks ago, a weekend getaway to the mountains with some great people.

I continue to ask myself how I can celebrate life, even little things, amidst the great mass that is busy days.

Being a senior in college, in the major that I am, there is a great deal of value placed on the to-do list. Pressure to be more productive, more accomplished, more efficient. Busyness is encouraged and even rewarded. And I have to be honest, when I take time for rest or little celebrations I feel like I fight the reality of being conditioned to be constantly thinking about the work that still needs to be done, so much so that I have a hard time enjoying the present. Sometimes, as crazy as this may seem, I even experience feelings of guilt, the never-ending list looming over our heads.

Don’t get me wrong, a great work ethic is super important, but also is celebrating who I am and the goodness around me. Celebrating life for me is getting away from the screens, and asking God for the ability to feel free of any guilt, and even for a little while, to forget all the items on my plate.

So I find myself daydreaming about the outdoors… 

Camping, hiking, exploring…

Surrounded by color and fresh air and wide open space…

I already know that as I live the rest of my life, being outside will always be a great means of rest, of enjoying being alive. This one and only wild and precious life.

That’s where my mind is today.

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