What Life Is About

Hello loves!

Summer is coming to an end, which means life is returning to its semi-normal state. People are going back to school, vacations are wrapping up, the slightly lax atmosphere in the office is returning to its full-force of professionalism, and most people are staring at their calendars and counting down the days to their next break.

Most of the year is spent in this semi-normal state. You get up, grind at a desk, come home, sleep. Some days you hit the gym or grab drinks with friends. Sometimes you run errands. Maybe once in a while you attempt to clean up your living space (really, how long has it been since you washed your sheets?)

Eventually, the day-to-day becomes kind of. . . monotonous.

There's nothing wrong with a routine. I have a strict pattern to how I start my mornings and anytime I've had to deviate from it, I've felt thrown off for the whole day. A good routine made up of healthy habits is something that you should have in your life.

But that's not the only thing you should have.

I'm sure you've noticed in yourself and others that people seem a lot happier during vacations and holidays. Even with all the stressors of travel, planning, occasional headbutting of family members, most people look forward to the interruption of "normal life." Of course, there's the obvious "Yay no work" reason for it, followed by the "Holiday dinners" appeal. A family and friends reunion always does wonders for the heart. But I still think there's something deeper than that.

I think those "breaks" in reality are so appreciated because they're what life is supposed to be.

(Don't worry, this isn't a post suggesting you should say screw it and quit your job.)

Think about it. Most breaks include spending time with the people you love. Sometimes you're exploring the world and traveling to new places. You're making meals together, reminiscing on old holidays or funny vacation memories, and remembering those who are no longer with you. There are still responsibilities, but they're shared amongst the group and don't really feel like a chore.

When you think of life, on the moments that make it all worthwhile, which ones are you thinking about? I'd wager it's not the hours spent sitting at a desk.

We were created for more than the 9-5 grind. We weren't designed to be stuck indoors, sitting on our butts in isolated cubicles and spending more time in blue-light than the sun. "Social media" and faceless strangers behind a screen can never fulfill the need we have to be around real people in real life.

Throughout history, we see stories and cultures that were community driven. The norm was multi-generational families living and working together, for neighbors to struggle and persevere together, for the city itself to be designed in a way that would bring people together.

And now? Now it's all self-driven.

At least in America, there's a heavy push to be "independent" and "self-sufficient." A real "I don't need anyone and don't owe anyone anything" mentality. It's more expected and "normal" for families to part ways once someone turns 18, only meeting up for holidays and birthdays. It's not weird to know zero of your neighbors so long as you have your list of digital friends. It's admirable to be so exhausted from how hard you work that you don't have the time or energy to do anything else.

All this doesn't feel like living. Yeah, fine, you're technically alive and breathing, but are you really alive?

Things change, I get that. We don't live in an agrarian society. Like it or not, cars and the commuter lifestyle overran the more natural pedestrian and community-focused style of living humans have followed for centuries. The cubicle set-up of most offices won't disappear overnight and corporations are always going to stab humanity in the back for the sake of their bottom line.

But life doesn't have to be a dreary trudge from the desk to the grave.

During the "normal" parts of life, make a point to really live. Go out of your way to meet up with loved ones during lunch breaks and after work. Schedule time to see people who are far away; and in the meantime call them on the phone. Send letters with actual intent and purpose over a flippant 'wut's up' text. Start an office potluck. Convince someone to try something new with you. Who cares if it's "cringe"?

The happiest people I know are the ones who take full advantage of life. They're the ones organizing after-work drinks, the ones who embrace all their interests and find their people, the ones who are willing to try anything once. They're the people who build their life around people.

And, sure, sometimes it's inconvenient. Sometimes we don't want to leave our cozy beds to help a friend paint their house or drive almost an hour to rescue our loved one from their broken down car. But that's the price you pay for community.

Considering the alternative, I'd say that's a very small price, indeed.

Love y'all <3

"Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near."---Hebrews 10:24-25