This I Believe

Live While You Can

At certain moments in time, life feels infinite. Listening to a favorite song, bike riding on a beautiful day, laughing to the point of tears; all simple events that should be treasured more than they are. Because, one day, life may not feel so infinite anymore.

In fifth grade, my 22 year old cousin passed away in a car accident. His name was Jason and he was probably the most fun-loving, nicest, and caring guy I have ever met. Jason was a firefighter and a police officer. One night, on his way home from work, he was killed by a drunk driver. I didn’t find out until the day after Jason’s funeral. While my parents told me the tragic news, their words pierced through my heart. All I remember is sitting in shock. How could someone that young die? Why did he have to suffer because of someone else’s poor choices? I just could not comprehend it. I felt like the world was spinning and I was stuck in the middle, confused and lost. He was only a few years older than me, and his life was already gone. My mind became consumed with all the things that Jason must have missed out on in life. I wondered if he had other goals and expectations that he, now, never had the chance to work towards. After my long assessment of the situation, all of my feelings and emotions came together; that was the moment I realized life was not infinite. At that point, I finally understood the true meaning behind “life is precious.” I recognized that I may not live forever, and, at first, that thought scared me. But why be scared of death when I know it is inevitable? The more I thought about Jason and his traumatic end, the more inspired I became to not waste any of my life. I decided that I wanted to sky dive, climb cliffs, travel the world, and abundance more. For an eighth grader, those goals were slightly out of reach. So, I determined I would simply be thankful for and enjoy every day to its fullest potential.

This I believe; everyday is a gift. I want to live every day like it’s my last. I want to treasure every little moment, every little experience, and every little time when I feel infinite.