Enjoying Life

Being just seventeen years old, I have been told from a young age to be happy and enjoy these moments of youth before the hectic adult life soon occupies my life. Whether it was partying at friends’ bar mitzvahs in middle school or riding roller coasters at Disneyworld, I began to miss those days of fun and carefreeness after choosing such an occupied and studious path. Today, even the shortest of vacations give me a peace of mind, from snuggling up in my bed even as my alarm continues to ring on a Sunday morning to browsing the Internet for useless gadgets that I would probably never use in my everyday life. However, the ideal place that I could describe being perfectly at peace would not be in the hospital I volunteer at or on the stage where I become sweaty and nervous. Instead, it would have to be in the safety of my family’s SUV while on day-long road trips.
Ever since my sister had left for college, travelling and flying has become a rarity for my family and money had to be saved up for college payments. Then again, it does not mean I do not miss travelling any more than the next family member. In the past, almost every vacation opportunity we had, our family would pack our bags and schedule road trips to various cities. Sometimes we would visit our cousins down in Chicago and Toronto, while other times we would drive somewhere extravagant, such as Phoenix or Orlando. Sure, packing my clothes, being nagged to wake up for the big day, and the anticipation of arriving at our destination may have been a pain in the rear, but in the end, it was all worth the hassle. With my headphones plugged in playing alternative rock, I would stare outside my window and scan the horizon as lush farm fields, crystal blue lakes, and neon lit buildings would all fly past us. Even falling asleep under the sunroof was a unique feeling as I would gaze up at the puffy white clouds that would drift above our fast moving vehicle until I slowly fell into slumber.
But bear in mind,...