I'll admit that I am often high-strung, filled with stress, and busy worrying myself into oblivion (or at least into my kitchen). At one point I thought I ran off stress, its presence pushing me forward to finish papers, books, and whatever else your typical college student faces.

But, it's not just school stress that is a part of our lives. Somehow we live in a world where we just accept stress as a part of life. This is the way a modern society works: promote the on-the-go lifestyle, place a McDonalds in Everytown, USA, and give people the idea that doing something is better than doing absolutely nothing.

Usually 24 hours in a day is never enough to complete the seemingly endless checklist of things to do. It's a fast food society in a face-paced world or is it a fast-paced society in a fast food world?

Whatever it is, this may be where many of us get caught. In light of the post-Sept. 11 America, we have been inundated with warnings about how best to de-stress a terrorist attack. We have been told to get non-perishable food, water and duct tape. We have been told not to panic. We have been told to be vigilant. We have been told to take these warnings seriously.

What for? All these warnings do is instill more stress into my life. I let CNN's constant "Breaking News" rule my life, and I become an anxious, stressed mess. And, to tell you the truth, I hate being that way. I want to enjoy my life. I want to take a deep breath and appreciate what's really important.

Wait. What is really important?

After Sept. 11, the consensus was that people began to think about "what was really important." And, I'm not sure that the drastic rise in the popularity of Friends constitutes "getting our priorities straight" (unless, of course, making a million dollars per episode is your priority). So, if getting our priorities straight was so important after the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history, why, over a year later, is it that we remain a culture of stress?

To be blunt, we remain a culture of stress because we are alive. No matter how many gallons of water you stockpile or how many rolls of duct tape you buy, you cannot escape life. You may buy enough canned foods to last you three days, and find your house burned to the ground. And, while that may not be the most pleasant of examples, we've got to remember that stress existed before Sept. 11.

Being alive means accepting that you can cease to be alive, that accidents can happen and that stress will be around. I always ask my roommate about her family in Israel and how they cope with the stress of living in a country where terror is a constant reality of life. She always gives me the same answer: "It's their home."

Unlike Americans, who run to the store at the mere mention of "terror," the Israeli people refuse to let their lives be ruled by fear or stress. My roommate's family may get on a bus to go to a grocery store with the understanding that a terrorist attack is a possibility, but no matter what, they are still going to get on that bus.

As an American, I want to get "on that bus." I want to live my life in my home. Someone asked me after Sept. 11 what I was going to do different. How was I going to get my priorities straight? I told them that, like most Americans, I was not sure, but I knew I wanted to do something.

Now, in a time where there is a threat of war and a heightened state of alert in this country, getting my priorities straight means doing something very simple. It means taking a look at life and priorities and living the life that makes us happy.

Wait. So, what is really important?

Living life the best we can; understanding that what matters most is not buying that duct tape, but the ability to go out and get it.