A Unicycle a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

For every Penn Stater, especially us freshman, these first few weeks have undoubtedly been stressful. We've been given assignments on top of assignments and many of us have gotten insufficient sleep. Let me ask you this: have you remembered to be happy? Have you remembered to enjoy the little things in this haze of stress? For me at least, it's been hard to focus on anything but school and ROTC. For this reason, I want to talk about a situation which made me happy and reminded to enjoy the little things.

I observed this occurrence this past Monday when I was walking (actually frantically fast-walking) to my chemistry lecture. I had lazor-like focus on the Osmond Laboratory and nothing was going to stop me from being on time. This focus was broken, however, when I noticed something you don't see every day: a man on a unicycle. Immediately, I slowed my pace and watched this man. He was happily peddling around in the street and most people around him stopped to look or take a picture. The smile on his face made it obvious how much fun he was having. I watched him for a few minutes  and, truthfully, I was entertained. Like all good things, though, the fun had to come to an end as I watched him ride his unicycle away.

Photo Credit: C-Smitty

This might not have been a dramatic occurrence, but it shifted my focus from work for a brief moment. It was also nice to see everyone else smiling on a Monday (we all know how people feel on a Monday). In fact, something as small as a smile can change your whole mood. Any smile, genuine or not, can actually relieve stress! The man on the unicycle may never know how his simple action had a positive impact on everyone around him.

So, what can we learn from the man on the unicycle? Well, for one, I think we should learn how too ride a unicycle! On a more serious note, I think we can learn that we should take time each day to do something we love. We don't have to do something drastic to improve our mood; it can be as uncomplicated as riding a unicycle. What's more, the actions that make us happy can make others happy, too. It's science, people!

As a final point, I urge everyone to smile more. It's my belief that life should not be take too seriously. I feel that the cycler exemplified not taking life too seriously. He consciously made a decision to break up the monotony of his daily routine by riding his single-wheeled contraption. So, find the little things in life that make you happy and practice them daily and you'll probably be a happier and more productive person!