The BAUM

Lauren Berenbaum
Editor-in-Chief

I love the beach. Whenever I think of the beach, I picture the brilliant sun warming my body, the burning sand against my skin, and the picturesque water meeting the horizon. Unfortunately, it is starting to get colder and my time at the beach is non-existent. Some of my favorite memories are with my family and friend on the beach. To me, the beach symbolizes relaxation and warmth, and I absolutely love it. As the leaves fall and as everyone settles into his or her hectic routines, I find myself wishing that I were on the beach, away from the stress and bustle of senior year. Everyday when I walk out of the lobby, I feel the cold wind rattle though my bones (even 60 degrees is too cold for me)! Even worse, the workload seems to always soar around this time. Sometimes I wish I were really on the beach, soaking in the glorious rays.
But my real point here doesn’t have to do with my love of the beach, or actually, it does indirectly. The beach is my way to relax and find enjoyment out of life; for others, this enjoyment stems from sports, being with family or friends, or even just watching T.V. Finding contentment doesn’t have to be exotic. Sadly, sometimes the complexities of life over shadow our desires for the simple comforts—whether it is the beach or being with our friends. I thrive on the stress that school brings me, but over the past four(ish) years, I’ve learned a very valuable lesson: we all need at least twenty minutes everyday to relax and put up our feet. We all get swooped up in the mess of work and extra-curricular activities, in the stress of college and even our lives at home. It is very easy to forget that we are humans and we all need a break. There is definitely a fine line between being lazy and taking a break, but after hours and hours of homework and no sleep, maybe it is time to rethink ours schedules? After one of the most stressful and demanding junior years, I have learned to budget my time, almost to the extent where every hour is planned out. While this may seem a little structured (and trust me its not as intense as I am making it sound) it allows me to insert that twenty-minutes of down time. And the best part, it gives me to opportunity to be with my family and talk to my friends. This time has had amazing effects, I find myself more relaxed and even more able to productively do my homework. I realized that I can say I need a break (obviously this needs to be within reason because then I really would be crossing that line of laziness). I do often feel guilty for taking this time out, which is why I only do it when necessary. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference and decision. No one can tell me how I feel and no one can decide if I need a break or not—it is completely up to me.
The next time I want to relax, I will be daydreaming about lying on the beach with the sun, sand, and waves. What about you?