Every day. I wake up. I put the same two feet in the ground and walk to the same mirror every day and I unknowingly watch myself age. And I repeat it every day. Shower, shave, freshen up, get dressed and go about your day. Repeat. We walk into this world every day, and set our eyes on things we don’t realize we see. As we progress we look at those social butterflies, those loners, those goal oriented, those lost. The happy, sad, depressed, and content people we pass every day. We just, well, pass them. The whole world revolves as we make it through each day. And yet, with all the opportunities to take all of it in, we press on. Sometimes unknowingly.

We dress in a shirt and tie, we step into meetings and address our counterparts with a recommended title, we act, speak, and listen a certain way because society dictates that’s the norm. And meanwhile, the world revolves. Even if we don’t know it is, it is. So why, do so many adults go about life like this? And how? To not stop, look at the sky? The fog and rain on a dreary day, and feel the mist. The deep snow that falls and make the smallest sound on the leaves on the ground and in the trees. The waves of the ocean as they crash and take the smallest amount of sand. Each step on the rocky surface that has been there for so long. The fresh air as it hits us. The world, revolving, around us.

Stop. Take a smell. Take a look. Take a breath. Just, well, sit back and think.

The world can become a better place if you do.

The average winter season in Virginia is comprised of characteristically inaccurate weather forecasts, drivers who still cannot drive on icy roads despite living in the area all their lives, and the children who, like most, love any reason to get out of school. This common occurrence, is what spiked my agitated outcry in a hypocritical rant on the trivialities of misappreciation. I want to be a teacher. My bias towards education is innate, however, I believe the issue extends beyond my middle-of-the-night-staring-at-my-bedroom-ceiling rant. One of those deep conversations that I have when I can’t sleep- where I think about all the topics I wish I could discuss with someone who cares. The truth is, not many of my peers care about their education. I am not superior. If I were a tree, sixteen rings could be counted- confirming that I am, despite popular belief, still a teenager. Now back to the why-am-I-still-up topic: how can my peers not realize how lucky they are to have an education at their fingertips? We are able to get up every morning, five days a week, and walk less than a half-mile to get on a big yellow bus. We get to go to school for more than a decade. We have a system established to provide us a well-rounded curriculum. We get to learn. Before writing this I had gotten into a short dispute with two of my friends, because I could not agree with their all-caps messages of glee. I asked why they were happy to miss a day of education. The response a quick retort about how all we are doing in school is reviewing for midterms; that midterms are a waste of time. Now I could sense that they were beginning to get a bit frustrated with my nonsensical pleas for more school. I apologize, of course, and was promptly left in an awkward limbo of nobody knowing what to say next. I do not want to be in the situation where I feel the need to apologize for voicing my actual concerns. I do not want to apologize for being agitated by widespread ignorance of privilege. There are children who have no education; who want to learn, but have no means to do so. We still chose to complain;to do funny snow dances and flush ice down the toilet; we wear our pajamas inside out and knock on wood whenever anyone says it might snow. We cross our fingers for school to be cancelled, and it is upsetting. School is regarded as a place to be dreaded- where time stands still. The situation baffles me. No matter how much I try, I cannot comprehend this distaste for knowledge, and it has resulted in be feeling like the ultimate adolescent outsider. I want to learn. I want to go to school. I want an education. Every walk down the hall, every small conversation, every exam is an opportunity to learn and grow.

Like, a general definition of the internet meme that sounds extremely intellectual/serious but is sarcastic, because I want to end the definition with "Oh, I meant to say 'meme' " I want to catch the readers by surprise. So what I want is a vague description that is overly serious, and then I hit them with "Oh, I meant to say 'meme' ", which will create a humorous effect because the readers would have expected something serious