It was a crisp autumn morning. The smell of the air was wet and clean, a refreshing change from the hot, stuffy, closed off air inside my home. It was cool, but not cold, pleasing to sit in for an extended period of time and watch the nature that surrounded me. I waited and watched as the leaves fell and drifted to the ground, while the birds chirped sweet songs, observing the simple beauty of nature. From the woods, I heard a brush of the bushes and out walked an old, but wise-looking cat.

He walked slowly and gently across the yard, unaffected by my presence, to a spot of warm sunshine atop a pile of rocks. He laid there carefree, unconcerned, living in the present moment, enjoying the warmth of the fall sunshine. Softly, he brushed his paw back and forth along the grass, finding entertainment in the simplicity of the swaying blades. He was not concerned about his tasks for the day, if he even had any, he just laid simply and content, doing nothing, but enjoying his morning. This action of simplicity made me think about and recount my own morning.

I was up for hours, and it was not even noon, calculating complex equations and analyzing nineteenth-century electoral demographics, leaving no time to enjoy my Saturday morning. And I wondered, what was the purpose of it all? I’m always worrying about the smallest things, stressing myself out to the point of tears, but for what? My new feline friend was fully satisfied with his life, simply lying on a rock, while I rushed around doing endless tasks not even considering what I really wanted to do, only concerned about what society was telling me to do. Through the help of my wise visitor, I came to a list of conclusions:

1. Do not freak out about the smallest mistakes, relax and bask in your own personal sunlight
2. Breathe deeply and take it all in because you only have that present moment for an instant before it’s gone and you're onto the next adventure

And finally...

3.  Remember to leave time for yourself because if you’re only living by society’s demands, are you really living at all?