Remembering the Smaller Things Creates Happiness

[Done-With-It!]

Remembering the Smaller Things Creates Happiness

May 5, 2009 by Heather Cachat


I can’t believe I am in my last three weeks of college. I have never understood the phrase “time flies” more than I do now. Also now more than ever, I am more stressed out.For four years I have known what I was going to do after every quarter, now the answer and the future is unknown. In the years I have been in college my outlook on life has changed. When I find myself getting stressed out about mundane everyday activities such as, finishing a paper, preparing for a presentation, studying for finals or searching for jobs;

I remind myself that it could be worse.


At the end of the day all that really matters is family and friends.




In my experience, I have learned when I am stressed out to take a deep breath and really ask myself is it worth it?
In the end, no one will remember if you said a wrong word during your presentation or failed a paper, or maybe even messed up in a job interview. I encourage all women to ask yourself the same question the next time you find yourself really stressed out, and notice what a difference it makes in your outlook on life.



I recently took a trip to New Orleans to visit my older brother. Being new to the city, I emerged myself in its culture and beauty. I was happy to take the trip with my Mom to visit my brother, even if I missed six classes at school. The vacation will always be a memory I share with my brother and mom, which is a greater gift than any aced midterm.


I felt like New Orleans has a lot of different aspects of a city all wrapped up in one location. At one point you can be walking down the famous Burbon Street, packed with bars and clubs, and then the next block, you feel like your walking through a European city filled with a different lifestyle and inhabitants. My brother drove us through the 9th Ward, where Katrina hit the hardest. Seeing the effect of Katrina and the amount of visible damage still there four years later, really made me appreciate my life.


Also, while in New Orleans we visited plantation homes along the Mississippi River. They were gorgeous! While taking in the beauty of these historic homes, I accomplished a recent goal. I wanted to master the skill of taking pictures of still life, keeping the main image in focus and the background out of focus. These plantations were filled with flowers unique to New Orleans, and I took over a hundred pictures, all of which I keep with me to remind me of such a once-in-a-lifetime trip.


Life is too short to miss out on the little things. Take every opportunity that comes your way. Be spontaneous! Make goals. Do something you have always wanted to do, whether it is a new sport, visiting a new city, a new activity, taking up a hobby, reading a book or visiting the cute restaurant you always walk by. Try and do one new thing every week. Even if it’s just taking pictures of a flower when you walk by it.


Flowers have always been a favorite of mine. I love how every flower is unique, sort of like us. They all belong to a family of flowers, but each has a unique color, beauty and size, and each blooms at their own pace.
You never know what tomorrow will bring. Try and not get bogged down with everyday stresses. Make a goal…and meet it, too.

Heather Cachat is a senior marketing major at Ohio State University. She also has a minor in Textiles and Clothing and hopes to work in the fashion and apparel industry upon graduation in June. Photo also by Heather Cachat.

[Chy]

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