Everybody is talking about Chewbacca Mom. I know, such a cliché to start an article with, but it really does seem like everyone is talking about the viral video of a mother laughing herself silly with a Chewbacca mask on.

If you’re unfamiliar with the video, do yourself a favor and watch it – the video is less than five minutes and I’m willing to bet it will make you laugh.

The woman behind the mask, Candace Payne, made many a person’s day when she uploaded the footage of her strapping the mask on and giggling away.

A number of websites, talk shows and articles have discussed what exactly it is that made the video such a hit (over 140,000,000 views!) with so many different kinds of people, and the answer seems to be the simplicity of it.

Payne isn’t doing anything outrageous, or stupid – she’s not telling jokes, doing pranks or performing a trick. She’s just happy.

The happiness, and her great laugh, infected viewers and made them happy too. So they shared it to make other people laugh and it’s glorious in its simplicity.

For students, who are busy and often overwhelmed with schoolwork, extracurricular activities or work, the simple things are a gift not to be squandered.

It’s not everyday that the Internet is treated to something both so pure and so entertaining.

Often you’ll have to make a choice between one or the other.

Payne bared her silly side in a way not many of us feel comfortable doing – heck, she was roaring with laughter (and Wookiee noises) in a parking lot, seemingly not caring at all what anyone outside of her car thought she was doing.

It sounds corny, but Payne can be an inspiration to us all, to let out some childlike joy now and again. Worry less about seeming silly and more on enjoying that silliness when it happens.

We’re getting to a point in the quarter when it gets harder and harder to chill out and de-stress from your day. There’s less than two weeks before the end of the quarter, and for many seniors, the end of their school career.

The pressure can build up dangerously in these times of heavy stress. Take a little time and allow yourself to be silly for silliness’ sake.

Blow bubbles in your drink, color in your coloring book outside of the lines. Sing with a silly voice in the shower, talk like a pirate, let yourself daydream–just don’t let yourself get overwhelmed.

Chewbacca Mom saw a chance to make herself happy and she took it, and through that was able to make other people happy as well.

Let Payne be your inspiration for happiness – remember, sometimes it just takes a Chewbacca mask.

Stay happy, everyone.