Cherish

Life, in its simplest, form is something that we often take for granted when we are constantly bogged down by our everyday trials and tribulations. We go through our days worried about an assignment due tomorrow, a paper due next week, and an exam a month from now! All the while, we are forgetting the blessing of life that has been bestowed upon us. That is why I have a firm belief and creed that I live by: don’t just live life- love, enjoy, and cherish it. I use the word life as an umbrella term that encompasses every aspect of my being that interacts with the world. I enjoy the breakfast I eat in the morning. I love the act of being able to attend a prestigious institution such as Penn. I cherish every minute of the time my friends and I spend together. This mentality has drastically influenced my way of life and my personal outlook on different situations in which I find myself.

I haven’t always had this optimistic and positive outlook on life. I developed this belief after a very dark time for my family and me. It was the beginning of my sophomore year of high school when my mother was diagnosed with cancer. Being the loving mother that she was, her number one priority was making sure that I was okay. She convinced me that everything would be okay, and I wholeheartedly believed her. Reality did not hit me until I looked into the stands before my first home basketball game and saw two vacant seats where my parents would normally sit. I went and visited her in the hospital every day after school and the first thing she would ask before I even got to greet her was, “are you okay?” And I would answer cheerfully with a smile on my face, when deep down the answer was a resounding no! This was the woman who sat in the freezing cold just to watch her baby boy get hit play after play during football games. The woman who would hold her breath until I was back on my feet. The woman who put me before everything in her life, and I was supposed to be okay with watching her slip through the cracks of life? Nobody is capable of that.

I kept my spirits high and didn’t let the situation ruin the remaining time we had together. She used to tell me as a child to cherish every moment because in the end that’s all we have. I didn’t realize that profound statement she used to make on a regular basis would become so relevant so soon. One night in the hospital she asked me how I remained so positive throughout all of this and I responded by directly quoting her. That was the first time I had ever seen my mother cry. So I continue to strive to make my mother proud and to live by this creed.

Rest In Peace