My life isn’t about getting into the latest trends, competing to be the best or even being socially accepted by my peers. It’s about happiness, the struggle to feel content in this world where more is always better. My life, like anybody else’s, is full of ups and downs, an emotional roller coaster. When a person is able to be hopeful and accepting, no matter what the outcome may be, there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel to look forward to.
One way to happiness is to not worry about things that we can’t control. Everything will be okay in the end, and if it’s not okay then it’s not the end. This I believe.
As I was growing up, my grandma was more of a mother to me than my own mom. We were close, and inseparable, except when I got lost. I’d always wander off while we went shopping so my grandma decided to get me those dog leash things. And we’d be connected by hand. So I guess you can say we were inseparable literally, too. She taught me everything I know, but the simplest phrase is what stuck to me: “It’s okay.” It’s what I would always hear, when I fell down, when my parents got a divorce and even when I had a bad day. As I grew up, I realized how inspiring and true these words became. No matter what the situation, that was what made life make sense. On October 10, 2003, my grandma passed away. Now, who was going to be there to tell me “it’s okay?” After that, nothing made sense. How was she going to constantly tell me that things are going to be okay, then be the only reason why things are not?
Memories don’t fade. It’s been almost 4 years. I miss her a lot, but being stuck in the past won’t bring her back. Because I have accepted that it’s merely a part of life, I’m able to live contently. I continue living life and the hardest obstacle I face every single day is my attempt to achieve happiness. To be able to sleep at night knowing that I’m fine with what I have, what happened and the people I know.
My grandma inspires this belief I choose to live out. So, knowing that no matter what, “it’s okay,” is my way of feeling connected to her. In remembrance of her, I will know that there is always hope, all I need is trust and acceptance. I am such a strong person, just like my mama because the situations I go through.
There is hope in all situations, great or small. It is inevitable that we experience both good and bad times. It is our optimism that makes everything acceptable. This belief of mine isn’t asking for too much. It’s not asking for things to be great. It’s not asking for things to be perfect, it’s asking for things to be okay, just okay. I can live with that.