No one likes the sound of an alarm in the morning.

It means you have to wake up, get up and toughen up to face the world. Your warm, comfortable,

blanket-strewn bed is a much preferred alternative to the cold, harsh air outside.

But no, along with our alarms we are forced up each and every day by society and angry parents. Why can’t we just sleep forever? Not talk to anyone? Have no obligations?

It would be nice to live in a utopia where everyone could relax and have all of our current hardships lifted off our shoulders. A world where no one would have to pull an all-nighter to finish studying for a test, where you could simply learn rather than cram information into your brain, where you wouldn’t have to get up early in the morning if you didn’t want to.

That idea used to sound pretty good to me.

Until I visited my grandfather.

He was hunched over a walker, tennis balls and all, hobbling beneath the great shadow of the man he used to be. He made his way over to me, legs quivering with each step. When he finally reached me, he met my gaze, and I saw an intelligent man behind his light green eyes. A man with a lot on his mind. A man with a lot to say. A man who was tired of having no obligations. He opened his mouth and spoke.

“I-I-I-It’s s-good to … see … you,” he said, mumbling, stumbling and slurring his way through the sentence.

He was never the same after his hemorrhage.

Now, he moves between the couch in front of the TV, the chair by the computer and his bed behind a closed door. He can’t stand up without help, and he can’t walk without a walker. All he can do is watch TV and sleep. He can barely talk. He has no obligations.

Every teenager’s dream, right?

My guess is it isn’t yours.

Next time your alarm is screaming, get up and turn it off. Stand up and confront the chilly air, the people and the obligations. Face the day with a smile and be grateful that you can stand up in the morning. You can work hard and have fun with friends. You can do whatever you want with your life. Your obligations mean you have freedom. Not everyone can say they have that.

One day, it could be you without that freedom — stuck in the perpetual cycle between different chairs, couches and beds. So, skip the snooze button.

Why?

Because you can.