#9: Everything is temporary

Whether it's a presidential term, the crispness of a potato chip, a sunset, a job, a road trip, a season, a broken bone, a class period, a dream, that mean case of poison ivy you had last year that you never thought would go away but finally did after two months, whatever. Everything and anything you can think of is temporary. You are. The sun is. This galaxy is. Life on Earth, or Earth itself even. We are all so temporarily fortunate to be temporarily alive on this temporarily revolving orb of experience, that we should temporarily put the brakes on everything for a second each day and truly make an honest effort to appreciate the small things.

Having just moved to New York City, I find that most people here seem to shield themselves from such thoughts. Perhaps they fear that with so much stimulus around them, so many people, and places, and things to look at, if they did really try to take it all in their cerebellum would fuse, their eyes would implode, and more importantly their precious time to live life before death would be wasted. In my opinion however, being a careful, conscious, and consistent observer of an environment (no matter how hectic it may be) is a much more worth-while use of our temporary existence here on Earth than frenzying about in a selfish, inconsiderate money-rush.

So saving to pay the mortgage is undeniably important, yes, I understand that. But is it so important that you'd cut somebody off at the elevator instead of holding the door for them (Mr. Businessman Whoeverthefyouarethatdidthattomeearlier)? When did our lives become so important that we no longer notice the fundamentals? Everyone on the subway seems half-dead, for example. Doesn't anyone realize anymore that each and every day we're racing in a tin-can bullet of madness, screeching and lurching with strangers through dirty city veins? Riding the subway is cool! Don't let the fear of germs, or the stressful day ahead of you, or tired eyes blind you from what's really around here: wonderment, Life, and temporary bliss.