BY BREANN LENZMEIER
Email

Breann Lenzmeier, Sports Editor
The days are getting longer and the weather is starting to change.
Okay, maybe not so much the latter, but a girl can dream, can’t she? Spring is on the horizon. With the sun staying out longer, it is a sure sign that winter is on its way out the door.
I love when the seasons change, and spring might just be my favorite one. Spring offers snow melting, warmer temperatures and the chance to be outdoors rather than covered up under five blankets inside my apartment. I am a firm believer that the weather changes people’s attitudes, and I think with the temperature starting to rise, everyone will be in a better mood.
Seeing the grass turn from brown to green does wonders for people, and it can be the littlest thing that changes someone’s frown to a smile. Over our lifetime we are going to meet thousands of people, from the neighbor down the street to our roommate in freshman year to the people we will meet on the job. You never know who you are going to see and where you are going to see them.
This happened to me over the weekend. I was on a family trip to watch the Big Ten Wrestling Championships in Madison, Wis. I was pretty excited about the trip before we even left. Little did I know, my excitement didn’t even compare to the fun I was about to have.
Before the first wrestler took down his opponent, I was shown just how small the world really is. My parents and I didn’t tell many people we were going, we just thought it would be a nice time to spend together, and it was. It shows that no matter where you are, something will always remind you of home.
I saw this first hand when my dad saw someone he used to coach with. He was a high school coach, and it was the first time he had seen this man in over a decade. I thought to myself, “You have got to be kidding me. We drive almost nine hours, and we still run into people we know?”
The world really is a small place. It made me realize that life is more about the relationships we have and the little moments we enjoy rather than the daily tasks we worry about accomplishing.
It was nice to see my dad catch up with his former colleague. It made me think life’s about the people you know and the moments you share that matter the most. That is when I realized it is important to make every moment count. Do not just sit by and watch things happen, but actually go out into the world and make your goals and dreams come true.
Instead of sitting on the sidelines and complaining about what I can’t do, I am choosing to do the things that make me happy and push myself to go the extra mile. It is the little extra amount of effort I am putting into the things I do that will make all the difference in the long run.
Running into people wherever I go made me realize that if it is possible to not burn bridges with the people you know, things will be better in the long run.
Yes, we may not all get along all the time, but I can almost guarantee that it is better to walk away when something doesn’t go your way than to say or do something you might regret later on down the road.
That is why, for me, it is about taking the time, making the effort and pushing myself to be the best person I can be. Instead of watching those around me accomplish what they want to do and keeping myself stuck in idle, I am going to start moving forward.
For me, it means letting go of what has been bothering me the past few years and moving on. You control your own happiness; no one else does. Instead of always being upset or negative toward new things, open up and let the sun shine in.
This all comes back to relationships. For me, it is about surrounding myself with happy and positive people. I admit freely that it is hard at times to see the positive. Sometimes sad things happen, and we can’t control them.
Instead of dwelling on the sad parts, remember the happy moments you shared. I believe if you surround yourself with a number of people you enjoy, you will have a great time doing the things you love. When you run into someone, it will be easier to go up and talk to them rather than pretend you didn’t see them.
We need to make the most of each moment. This moment counts. Yes, right here, right now. You will never get today back. You need to make today special. These moments matter, so enjoy them.
I admit that too often I am thinking about the future and what it holds for me. What am I going to do after graduation? Where am I going to go? What do I want to do? Then I start to realize everything will work itself out. I have surrounded myself with people that I trust and who have told me everything will work out in the end.
I have less than three months to go until I face the “real world” head on. These next three months I’m going to enjoy every moment and remember building relationships with a smile. Who knows the next time I will see the people that mean so much to me?
As the days get longer, I realize that it is about stepping outside into the sunshine and embracing the little moments that make me happy. These moments include the life-long relationships with the people I care about and the knowledge that I am giving everything I have and not giving up on the things that matter the most to me.
Yes, this is a challenge sometimes, but it is worth the effort. When you try your best and you give it your all, you don’t always know how things will work out, and who they will affect.
It is better to try and see what happens rather than just letting it go by the wayside. It may not be significant now, but one day you might be walking down the street and run into someone you haven’t seen in a long time. They will say, “Remember that one time?” and you’ll have a happy moment to share with that person. If it doesn’t seem important now, it may down the road. Make the moment count, you only get the opportunity once.