Ever since December I knew exactly what I was going to write about for my senior column.

I was so passionate about the topic and started telling my fellow Collegian staffers about it.

But then came the time to actually write it and I just was not feeling it anymore. I had completely played out the idea in my head.

So here I am trying to think of something else I am passionate about.

Yes, Penn State is great, so are my family and friends, I love the Collegian and everyone in this dungy basement.

I love Paris, I love food, I love dancing, I love baby animals and I love plenty of other great things.

Then it struck me that I just love life, in general.

This might sound cliché or lame, but I get the feeling I'm pretty unique in this country for having a passion for life.

Most people have the typical 9 to 5 job, where they stare at a computer screen or read through a bunch of documents in their cubicle or office, if they're lucky.

Then they go home in rush-hour traffic and curse at the world for not moving quick enough.

After all, they want to get home in time for dinner, watch some TV, complain about what went wrong that day and go to sleep.

Repeat.

Most Americans live in this sheltered life thinking they live in the best country ever and that other countries are not good places to live or raise a family.

You are either Republican or Democrat and stick to your ideals. I know a lot of people who would not travel to certain countries because they "don't like Americans." Well, I think that is all a load of crap.

First of all, children in other countries are so much happier than American kids.

Even in poor countries, you'll see kids so happy to just be playing with a stick and running around. They don't need Play Station or a laptop to have fun. In European countries, families are so much closer than American families. Even just walking down the streets of Sevilla or Rome, you see that family closeness.

Maybe it has to do with the fact they have three-hour dinners, where they take their time talking to their family and enjoying their food and wine. And I think that is the main difference between Americans and the rest of the world. We like living in the fast lane, we want everything now, and we rush to and from work. Dinner is usually a quickie and sometime everyone just does their own thing. We want to get a raise, move up in the company.

It's this whole competitive world, but what do you really get out of it? Maybe more money and more "friends," but you don't get true happiness.

To me happiness starts off with having an open mind, slowing things down a notch -- if you live here, at least -- and really just taking it all in.

Someone once told me that you can have great days and you can have terrible days, just make sure you don't have a boring day.

And I think so far, that is true for me.

Just last week I had one of the worst days ever -- I drove for a total of 10 hours, got lost, ran out of gas, almost crashed into the Susquehanna River and got a speeding ticket.

When I got home that night I was not in a great mood. But looking back at it, it's such a great story to tell.

And there are plenty of other stories such as having a broken foot and trying to go up the big hill in Bellefonte in the rain to get to a court trial at 8 a.m., after riding the bus for an hour. But I took it all in and just laughed about it, and I think it's great because that is all part of an unpredictable life. I think a major part of life is seeing how diverse our planet is. If you can, you should travel to different countries, try different food and really engage in different cultures.

If you don't have the means to travel, then at least meet people from different backgrounds and don't judge them by their race.

You would be surprised how many great people you will meet if you just live outside of your box and try new things.

Just the other day, I was chatting over drinks with a woman in her 50s (my future editor in Rochester) at a bar, and we were exchanging stories about everything from our world travels to ex-boyfriends to people from Philly suburbs. I hadn't had such a great time in a while and that's when I realized that you really need to be open to anything.

Who would have thought that at the age of 22 I could have so much fun with someone my mom's age? Whether you admit it or not, if you live that American fast-lane lifestyle, you have all these angry feelings bottled up toward people who are different than you -- and that is not the way to live life.

You always hear that you should live life to the fullest.

Well, I am telling you live life more openly and then it will really be full of great things.