S.A.D. v. Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter.

Have you ever noticed how life is filled with little things (such as crunchy peanut butter... don't be hating!) that just make your day? It can be anything, really; an awkward, funny photo, a great song, or something as simple as a smile from a stranger can almost miraculously turn around your day for the better.

About a week or two ago, little advertisements about S.A.D. (seasonal affective disorder) and a subsequent pick-me-up party with refreshments (free food? Heck yes!) started popping up around campus, and in Ludwig dining hall. Naturally, many jokes were made about the convenient acronym, and the ironically blue cards they were printed on. So, after making my fair share of lame jokes about the party, it actually got me thinking: I wonder how much worse we'd be off in life if we didn't have those little blessings spread out through our day.

Clearly we are blessed beyond belief in most aspects of our lives; even those of us who appear to be less fortunate here in America cannot hope to understand the poverty and disadvantages of those in other countries. All I'm trying to say is that I think we still overlook the little things. Every once in a while we'll stop and appreciate life as it is, but usually I find myself complaining about things that don't go my way.

So often we forget how self-absorbed we actually are. We struggle through issues of self-discovery and self-awareness, and we lose perspective beyond ourselves. We joke about people acting as if the world revolves around them, but that’s the way most of us live our lives: as if we are the main character in an epic movie. Now, I'm certainly not here to give a sermon about how we should all focus on others, and be more selfless, and give more to the needy. That's just not my place. But I think at the very least we could take a moment once in a while to appreciate the little things around us that keep the sun shining in our minds even though we are in the middle of our freezing midwestern wintertime. 


And who knows? Maybe you'll be so impressed with your time of reflection on the little things that you go all crazy and help somebody else out (gasp!). Maybe you create one of those moments for someone else. I don't believe in karma, but there's something about helping somebody else out that is rewarding in, and of itself. Sometimes I'm even selfish about helping others out! But maybe God made it that way: we feel good when we help others for a reason.


So stop being so S.A.D.!


-Dave