Living life to the fullest is not just about filling your schedules

I have always been very concerned with living life to the fullest. Since young I have always had a fear of dying, which was only accentuated with the loss of several close loved ones. Perhaps out of this insecurity (that I may not be living life as fruitfully as I can), I have always tried to fill up my schedule with way too many events, and gotten involved in way too many activities and clubs, so that I feel like I'm not wasting life, that I'm making the most out of my time here. By extension, I always try to fill up my weekends with (mostly outdoors) adventures.

But last weekend, I just stayed at home. I was supposed to go on a weekend-long rock-climbing trip to the Gunks in upstate New York, and was eagerly anticipating it. But on Friday, the trip got cancelled because of the impending storm in New York that weekend. So on Friday night, I went to the GAPSA (Graduate and Professional Students' Association) Gala Party (for all Penn grad students) at the World Cafe Live instead. It was a wonderful party, and I certainly had fun dancing the whole night. The next morning, I ran a 5K race organized by Penn students to fundraise for cancer research. For the rest of Saturday and Sunday, I just stayed home watching movies with my housemate. I guess it felt pretty good- taking it easy and just relaxing instead of being up and about all the time.

Hurrying through life like a child 
Forever anticipating some joy tomorrow, 
Afraid to miss something, 
And missing damn near everything!
Afraid to build a dream step by step
And to wait for all that is destined.

Ready to take that instant pleasure lest we die
And missing all the simple beauty
Of planting in the spring
Harvesting in the summer
And wondering and dreaming and loving all year long.

Who will teach us to walk slowly,
To grasp each moment,
And to understand that what now is
Will never be again?

--From "Maybe If I Loved You More" by James Kavanaugh


"Afraid to miss something, and missing damn near everything" indeed!

Time to take life slow.

Though I'm bound for Acadia National Park this weekend (leaving today and coming back on Monday).

But I'll be savoring each moment when I'm there. Oh I will.