When it came time to choose where I should spend Spring Break, there was one very obvious choice: California. As it mercilessly snowed in DeKalb and the majority of the country suffered from torrents of similar weather, it became clear that the best escape would have to be as far west as possible.

San Diego was my destination because it is the crème de la crème of California weather and scenery. It is also a pretty fun place to be. Where else can one find seafood at every restaurant and champagne offered with breakfast?

In a place where avocados are a culinary staple and one can go whale watching on any day of the week, the most refreshing part about San Diego is the genuine, consistently happy attitude of the people who inhabit it. The laid-back, carefree manner of most everyone I encountered was true to stereotypical Californian form, and a welcome change from the Chicago area.

Wherever I went, people tended to smile when they spoke. They drank freely and socialized easily, as though they all shared the understanding that they were there to have a good time. It was a pretty influential state of mind to be around on a consistent basis. The weeklong exposure to heavy sunshine and wide smiles weren’t enough to transform me into a grand optimist, but it did persuade me to relax a little bit.

That’s exactly why we have a Spring Break – to get away from it all. As the pressure of the spring semester mounted to an almost unbearable peak, I remember thinking that if it weren’t for the nearing vacation, I would not be able to continue forging ahead with tests, essays and at times, column ideas.

As college students, it becomes so easy to get caught up in the chaos and stress of our schedules. We can forget how good we truly have it.

“Getting away for awhile” is not a luxury that everyone can afford; I most likely will have to wait awhile to travel again. However, it is easier for us to escape our blues if we can adopt the attitude of the person who does live a luxurious lifestyle – by letting go, lying back and trying to separate our worries from our goals.

What I have taken away from San Diego (besides some fabulous snapshots) is a renewed, more hopeful mentality. By realizing life is good, it’s apparent we can appreciate more of it – and make it easier for others to do the same. We need to take our studies seriously but not so seriously that we forget why we are here in the first place.

So let’s take a moment to smell the roses, and, perhaps every once in awhile, indulge in a little champagne with our breakfasts.

Columns reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of the Northern Star staff.