If Today was Your Last Day...

We all go through that phase where we think that we are invincible, no one and nothing can harm us. But we will all realize that we are all gonna die one day. So, how do you want to be remembered? How will you leave your mark on this world? Life is short! We are always hearing stories of young people losing their lives before making their mark on the world, and that they had so much to live for … but the truth is that we do not know WHEN we are going to die, and who are we to say that this person did not take full advantage of their life. Death is tragic and unexpected no matter what the case may be, old or young, how do we know what kind of life the person lived? Yes, it is unfortunate if a 16 year old loses his/her life but, it is much worse for those of us who are left to deal with the loss, because they are no longer here. However if it is a 95 year old, we do not think twice about how this person got to live a “full” life, we will still miss them but knowing they lived so many years offers us a better form of closure. The number of years that we live does not determine the quality of life we live. As Abraham Lincoln once said “In the end, it’s not about the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” So whether it be 16 amazing years on this planet or 95 long years, make it count! Tomorrow is not a promise so you have to make the best of it.

I recently found out that someone I knew a while back passed away, and naturally I began to think about how amazing this person was. This person was only in my life for a short while, but they left a mark on my life. Their kindness and positivity motivated me to strive and work for what I want out of life. This person will never know the effect they had on me, because I got the inspiration from ONE conversation we had. I can only imagine how this person affected others … this was the single memory of them that had a lasting impression on me, one memory, one encounter in a sea of people who had also been touched by this person. This has got me thinking about the mark I will leave behind. How will I be remembered? I DO NOT live my life according to what others think. People are going to judge you no matter what you do or say, so I strive to be happy, and as I have said many times before, I want to leave a positive mark on those around me. After I came to this realization, I became more self aware of my actions and of my words. I want to be remembered as a kind hearted person because as Maya Angelou once said, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Emotions are powerful! Kindness is key to leaving a lasting impression on someone. If you give time out of your day to just listen and to offer some words of kindness others will remember that.

How you live your life is how people will remember you. However you should not live your life based on how people will view you, it is YOUR life and you only get one, make the most of it, be happy. We all get wrapped up in our lives and we focus on our careers so that we can build ourselves up in order to get that promotion, or to buy that new house or car.  All this is important, but we need to balance our lives. We need those things to live in our society. If you do not have money, you do not have the conventional means of survival, yet you also need to maintain your mental health, and cultivate the real meaning behind life. We need to stop and look at what really matters in life, we need to cultivate the relationships that mean the most. Quality over quantity, focus your energy on something that feeds your soul. Invest your time into parts of your life that make you enjoy living, time is precious! Don’t waste it.

Death is inevitable, you have a choice in how you live and let live, the trick is to be you, and do no harm to others. Leave a positive mark, inspire others to be the best they can be, and they will remember you for that. You never know when you are going to pass away so make sure to always create positive, fruitful memories with the ones you care about. Spend your time carefully, do not let another second pass you by and feed quality moments to your life. Live every day like it’s your last.

~Be happy and don’t dwell on the past, live in the present and welcome the future with open arms.

Lets Take a Trip Down Adventure Lane

3am:  I’m sitting with my friend in the dorms and we look at each other. He says to me, “Edith I’m bored let’s go do something!” I look back at him and say “Okay, let’s go” We get up off our lazy asses and head out the door. We couldn’t decide what to do but we just kept walking on campus and talking about our long and strenuous day. When we get to the top of the hill, there are two individuals talking to each other. One of them was laying flat on the floor as if he were bored out of his mind. The other guy was standing idle looking straight at my friend and I. We approach them and say “Hey, what’s up?” the one on the floor said “Bored as fuck, what about you guys?” My friend and I looked at each other and we both giggled and responded simultaneously, “same.” We followed up by introducing ourselves and they introduced themselves. The guy that was standing asked us why we were walking around campus at 3am and my friend proceeded  by telling them that we wanted to do something. I returned the question and they told us that they felt a strong desire to be outside. I immediately introduced the idea that we should go exploring and everyone agreed, the guy on the floor shot up from the floor and screamed “LET’S GO!”. The night was young and we set forth on an adventure less than half planned. We were going to go to the cave on campus :O. None of us had flashlights but we didn’t need them, the moon was high in the sky and so bright that it lit the path all the way through. When we got to the cave we had to use our phones, everything was pitch black inside but we were having a blast. Finally, we finished exploring inside the cave and decided it was time to head back out to the world. We walked our new acquaintances back to their dorms and my friend and I parted ways. When I got back home it was almost 5am and I was EXHAUSTED to say the least but it was all worth it. Even though I never saw those two explorers again I knew that all four of us shared an experience together of a life time.    

Some of the best adventures are spontaneous and risky, but that’s the best part about them. We need to be more spontaneous, life is short and we never know when we will seize to exist. Don’t let let life happen to you, make life happen! One of the most fulfilling experiences one could go through is to feel alive, filled with enough adrenaline to take over the world. Take chances and see where life takes you and what it has to offer you. Feel ALIVE! DARE TO BE ALIVE >:D If you haven’t felt scared shitless or excited beyond belief, you haven’t lived yet. Don’t be afraid to feel emotions and don’t let your fear of the unknown prevent you from living life to the fullest.

Ask yourself this, when was the last time you took a trip to the beach? When was the last time you went star gazing? When was the last time you tried something new? When was the last time you said ‘fuck it! I’m going to drop everything I’m doing so I can do what I want!” Now ask yourself, Why? … What is preventing you from taking a spontaneous trip down adventure lane? Part of living life is about experiencing the unknown and taking risks. You will accumulate so many meaningful memories that in the end you can say it was all worth it.

Instead of spending money on a bunch of designer clothes, designer shoes, designer bags, expensive jewelry, spend it on experiences. Those materialistic “things” won’t help you grow as person nor will they help broaden your perspective and they won’t give you something to share with the world. You can’t say much about a designer bag other than how much it costs, whereas when you talk to someone about an adventure, there are endless stories and make for intriguing conversation. There’s nothing wrong with designer items but I personally do not find them very interesting.

Enough about bags back to the topic. One day you and I will die and that is the sad truth. When you have memories of well lived moments with people you love, it fills you and helps to complete you. People aren’t going to remember you for the ‘bling’ you wore, they will however, remember the experiences they shared with you. So, find a group of people that you know you will have a great time with … and do something adventurous, planned or unplanned, just go outside and have a great time. Make your life what you want it to be.

Live life don’t just exist.  

Our Paths Crossing Was No Mistake

The other night I dreamt I was having a good time catching up with a friend of mine from elementary school when suddenly I woke up. I haven’t spoken to her in years, but this dream sent me down memory lane. I began to remember moments during my childhood. I realized that it reminded me how long it’s been since I’ve seen or contacted her. It also helped me see how the relationship we had has transformed over time and how we changed as individuals. We become so busy, sometimes we don’t stop to realize how we are changing. Change takes a while and happens slowly that the currents in our lives have a way of washing away that notion of change.

Given that everyone comes from different walks of life, everyone’s experience is different and therefore their changes are unique to their experiences. We each take our own paths and those paths cross someone else’s, like Flavia Weedn says “Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to new understanding with the passing whisper of wisdom. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never the same.” Let’s face it, Flavia has a point, people make changes in the lives of others, hopefully they are good ones, check out Hareena's post on  how we can make a difference in peoples lives.

Needless to say these changes don’t stand in the way of continuing a relationship with the people of your past. However, in some cases, the changes in either party or both are so drastic, even the attempt at a rendezvous is in vain. They say time heals all wounds, but time can also create a void that if it goes unfilled will drift both people away to the point of no return.

I have to remember that I am surrounded by people that love me and care about me NOW, and not make too much of the past. Memories only serve to remind us how we got here and can help us learn life lessons, but let’s not reminisce for too long for there is more to uncover on your path. Move it along beautiful people make your life happen.

Love always,

-Edith