My Day with Wires

Close your eyes and think of this:

There is a beeping in the distance and a stiffness in your muscles.  Every time you move, the sound of metal clinging together echos in the room.  On the left side of your heart, there is a box from which wires snake out.  Each connects to a receiver taped to your chest, that sends signals through your body.  Are you human?

These past few months I've been having chest pain and finally got an appointment to see a doctor.  It turns out that the pain wasn't caused by heart problems, but randomly due to stress.  Yet, to be sure, they hooked me up to a heart monitor.  So, yesterday I had to spend the day attached to a bunch of wires.  It's safe to say, that I felt like a robot.

The purpose of the monitor was to see how fast my heart beat was and track the activities that causes it to increase rapidly.  As a result, my time with it helped me realize just how many times a day I got stressed out over college and other things.  More often then not, that stress was caused by things that didn't matter when looking at them from the grand scheme of things.

Why is it that we always stress over the small stuff?
Why is it that the things that seem like nothing to someone else have the power to make us cry and get anxiety?
Why is it that even though we know that the things that stress us are minuscule, we still let them get to our heads?

These thoughts have been flowing through my mind for a while, but I've never really paid attention to them until recently.  A few days ago, a beloved staff member at my school passed away.  Although I do not know the specifics about her passing, I do know that the world was robbed of someone who always put others before her self.  She was kindhearted and always said good morning to everyone.  If I had to describe her in one word, it would be inspirational.

Her passing has helped me realize that life is short.
That every moment should be treasured because we do not know if it's our last.

As freshman year of college approaches, I will keep both her memory and the lessons she's taught me in the back of my mind.

I will not stress out about my classes or finding a person to sit with everyday at lunch.
I will not worry about how to manage a long distance relationship.
I will not worry about if my friends and I will still talk after June 25th.
I will get involved in my campus and take as many electives as I can.
I will study a semester abroad and learn the nation's native language fluently.
I will live in the now.

How will you live life to the fullest?