Ch-Ch-Changes

My brother and I were talking earlier, and he told me about a text he found on an old phone of his. This text was a great find. Not necessarily because of the content, but because of the sender. We both lost a great friend about 2 1/2 years ago, and the text was from him.

I have to admit, I was a little jealous of him. Every time I find one of my old phones, that is the first thing I look for. But of course, I always had my texts transferred to my new phone so they are always deleted. We got to talking about how finding something as small as a text can make you start thinking about the past.

The last time I got a text from him was 6 days before the wreck. I still remember the words exactly. I have them written down so I'll never forget them. Unfortunately, the text isn't on my phone anymore, but that doesn't stop me from thinking about it.

Life has changed drastically in the last 2-3 years. That isn't a long time, but everything has changed. Nothing has stayed the same. And that is how life is supposed to be. It doesn't mean we can't look back and think about how great that time was. I think we, as Americans, are too focused on what is coming next. We need to be more present in the present, because it will all change too fast. And we can never go back.

I know I am guilty of it too. I'm constantly thinking about getting through this week, waiting on the next payday, wishing for December (when I'm done with my Masters), and just not living in the moment. Don't get me wrong, I think planning is a great thing, but I just think we need to take more time to cherish the moments we have.

No-one is guaranteed tomorrow. Life can change in a split second. It was just three years ago that I was a sophomore in college, running around with my best friends at college, having the time of my life, and completely oblivious to the fact that my life would be greatly altered in 8 months.

We can't live our lives in the past. That does us no good. No matter how much we wish we could have changed things, we can't. All we can do is learn our lesson. Learn to live more fully and to enjoy every minute we have with our loved ones.

So that is my New Year's Resolution (even though I'm only about three months behind). To be more present, to stop putting things off until next week, and to just enjoy my life now. Because this phase in my life is fleeting, just like all the other phases. And I want to enjoy it. I don't want it to pass me by. It's time to slow down, and just realize that life is good.