I’m lazy. Or so everyone keeps telling me. I don’t finish my work as soon as I get an assignment. I sleep at least three times a day. I’ve been working on my college applications since the summer break started. And I spend a couple hours of my day wandering around the house doing anything that isn’t related to school work.

So it’s true. I can be lazy from time to time.

But I’m only “lazy” when my actions are scrutinized under the American idea that there is always more work to be done. That there’s no time to rest so long as you’re breathing. The society in which we live has no room for breaks. It doesn’t teach us about success beyond tangible gains. It’s as if in all the rush to meet our goals, society has forgotten how to be more than machines.
It’s as if we’ve forgotten how to live.

And that’s not to say that the American way of life is incorrect. It’s just that we as Americans should take a few pointers from our European neighbors. Throughout much of Europe, workers take a midday break. It takes place around lunch-time and typically lasts for two hours. In that time people are free to spend that time as they see fit. Whether they do errands, eat, get together with friends, or just sleep, the midday break gives people the opportunity to relax. An opportunity to live a little. So the truth is I’m not wholly guilty of being lazy so much as I’m an advocate for a more Europeanized lifestyle. A lifestyle where there is more room to enjoy the little things. A lifestyle where we can appreciate where we’re at in our lives and reflect upon where we would like to be tomorrow.

In all honesty, I’m just as much an advocate for working hard as the next guy. Without a shadow of a doubt, there is merit to working hard and giving everything you’ve got to reach greater heights. And I’m certainly no stranger to the concept. I became a self-taught photographer through hours upon hours of research and practice. I put in the time to learn how to cook a decent tasting meal, a claim that my friends can vouch for. I trained for well over a year to accomplish my goal of competing in a bicycling race, and then rode 54 miles to cross the finish line and achieve that goal. I’ve even put countless hours of overtime work into this very newspaper to provide a quality product.

While a devotion to hard work will help take you places and has the potential to shift some conditions in your favor sometimes, the reality is that no amount of due diligence can make everything in life work the way we desire. Blame it on me being an optimist, though no one has ever described me as such, but it’s just as important to devote time to laughing, playing and relaxing as it is to put time into work and studies. It’s important to allow yourself some time to be lazy.