"Don't quote me on this, but..."

I don't know about anyone else, but I am stressed to the bone about school and a bunch of other horse apples bobbling around in my head, that takes over you and your emotions like your hot math teacher in 8th grade (I don't know anything about that though, obviously). There are multiple ways that we all deal with our stress. Some ways benefit us and our overall wellness, and other ways may hinder us. For me it is a constant struggle. But, today was a different experience that I have not had in a very long time.

I have this research paper due tonight at midnight. I have been very stressed about this paper and of course I waited to do it on the day that it is due. I gave myself a timeline today, that I will work on the paper until three o'clock, and no matter if I was done or not, I was going to treat myself to a walk in the blizzard that mother nature was gracing us with. Three o'clock came around and I just had to finish my reference page, so I was in good shape to take a break. I walked to the top of this butte near my apartment in about 5 or 6 inches of dry, beautiful powder. While I was on the butte, there was no one around. All the houses seemed like they were tucked away trying to fight off the howling wind and snow. On a clear day, you can see the whole town of Bend and more, but today it was a white out. No sound but the wind and my own heart pounding in my ears from the hike. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the sound of the wind. I tried to remember every snowflake that hit my face. Nothing mattered anymore except for the flakes in my beard and the music that the wind was orchestrating. I do not know how long I was standing there with my eyes closed, but when I finally opened them, the tracks that I had made on the way up were mostly covered with snow. I had forgotten about time and my place in the world. Not one thing mattered!

On the way back to my apartment, I started thinking (imagine that). Why has it been so long since I have taken the time to feel this rejuvenated? We all have busy lives, things we need to do, but also things we want to do. There is only so many hours in the day. Everyone has something different that they do to relieve stress. Some people spend hours playing video games and other people want to go climb Everest. What I am getting at is, make time in your day to do something for yourself, whether it is sitting on the couch watching Oprah or going to play basketball, make the time! Some stresses that we have we cannot control, but there are some things that we can manage, and that is what we need to concentrate on. But, don't quote me on this, it's just what I have come up with.