No matter how much homework I have, how rushed I am to go out, or how many other commitments I have fighting for my time, every day I make sure to pick up my phone, even for just a minute, and call my mom. I think it’s so important to stay connected with those you love while you have the opportunity. I believe valuing your time with your loved ones is one of the greatest gifts you can give them.
When I was in elementary school, my brother got into a motorcycle accident. He was taking a leisurely ride on the back of our neighbor’s motorcycle just around our neighborhood when another car turned the corner on the wrong side of the road, sending my brother head first into a parked car and the driver face down into a garden of seashells. The two were rushed to the emergency room where they spent the night in intensive care. I remember, even at that young age, every detail of sitting in that waiting room watching my mom in tears and wondering if my brother was going to be ok.
I think about that day and wonder how my life could have been so different had my brother not made it. Since then, I try to take full advantage of the time we get to spend together, which is very limited seeing as I spend most of the year away at school seven hours from home. And although we have never been the closest of siblings, that doesn’t keep me from appreciating that I am lucky enough to be able to still have him in my life.
Nowadays, being in college, I apply this same mentality to staying in touch with my best friends from home. A quick email or a five minute phone call is so simple in comparison to potentially regretting time lost. And as my grandparents are getting older and health problems just seem to be adding up, I find myself finding more comfort in spending time with them than ever before. I try not to take for granted a game of cards or a trip to the store, because those are the moments that many people wish they could have back each and every day, moments so simple.
With every year I get older, I become more appreciative of what and who I have. I believe my family and friends have become top priority. I believe in taking advantage of the time I have with them, because it could be lost at any moment.