Why We Should Be Happy
Hilary DubinNews Mag Creative Director High school is far from perfect, and sometimes things can be really tough. Everyone has those days when nothing is going right and all there’s left to do is complain. Maybe you just flunked your math test, or got dumped by your boyfriend, or forgot your English project at home on the day of your presentation after staying up all night working on it. We all deserve a few occasions to indulge in the cynical teenage persona; however, as bad as that one thing is that’s bringing you down—or even those 10 things—I don’t think we should let the worst parts of our lives dictate the majority of our existence.It seems the grumbling, pessimistic teens of Samo need a bit of a reality check: life is not that bad. Considering we go to school in one of the most beautiful, open-minded places in the world, I think people need to look around and realize that there are more important things in life than slaving away over your Spanish homework down to the very last accent.To start, there’s our age. We are young, attractive and resilient. Our physical bodies are as agile and vivacious as they’ll ever be, and most of us can run and jump around without having to cope with chronic back pain or bad knees. We’re just old enough to be allowed independence and be accepted by society as proficient thinkers, but we still don’t have the downsides of adult life. Our years in high school are the last few that we get without the responsibilities of the real world. We get to hang out with our friends, talk on the phone and mind our daily business without having to think about bills or taxes. We can go into our kitchens to find a snack without worrying about the price of groceries or the next time we have to go to the store. Yes, we have homework, but at least we don’t have to clock in at the office for an eight-hour shift every day.Then, we should consider all the benefits of the world we live in today. Rather than spending hours delving through books and encyclopedias to write a research paper, we have our dear friend, Google. Word processors make writing and editing drafts for school assignments infinitely more convenient. The Internet, smart phones and tablets allow us to share our lives with friends more fluidly and vividly than ever before, even if those friends live in Australia or Japan.Not only are there benefits in society as a whole, but living in Santa Monica alone is plenty to be happy about. At least once a week I step outside, look around, and am dumbfounded at how beautiful our city is. The Santa Monica mountains are a 15-minute drive from Samo, and offer amazing canyon views, hiking trails, waterfalls and creeks. The pier and Santa Monica beach are tourist destinations for people around the world, and we go to school a mere four blocks from them. Having one of those, “I’m so bored, there’s nothing to do” days? Try stepping outside and going for a walk, or jog, or hike, or swim in one of the most desirable locations in the entire world.Aside from its natural beauty, Santa Monica offers unrivaled shopping, dining and sightseeing. Whether you’re in the mood for cupcakes, Mexican food, dim sum, pizza, or burgers, Santa Monica has authentic, gourmet, delicious restaurants for any genre your heart desires. And on the rare chance that what you want isn’t within our city limits, the greater Los Angeles area is readily at your disposal. For many people on the West Side, downtown LA seems like a terrible trek, but in reality it takes less than 15 minutes to get there without traffic. Until this year, I rarely went east of Sawtelle; however, it is much easier than you’d think to take a bus to the Hollywood Bowl for a concert, or drive downtown to get great discounts at the clothing warehouses of your favorite brands and even stop at Millions of Milkshakes for a delicious chocolate shake.Enjoying the pleasures of the world surrounding you is a great way to escape the stresses of schoolwork and drama, but it is impossible to purge yourself of boredom or stress if you sit around complaining. Obviously there are aspects of our lives and the world today that are not ideal. The point is, though, that the great parts of life far outweigh the not-so-great ones. Perspective is everything, and if we all took a second to realize how great our lives are, the small inconveniences would not matter so much.hdubin@thesamohi.com