This past weekend one of my very best friends was involved
in a life altering accident. Coming home from a fun night out, the car they
were driving careened off the freeway flipping three times. Through the midst
of this tragedy, my friend’s life partner, threw his body over hers to protect
her from any harm coming her way. The car finally skid to a terrifying stop.
Silence filled the air. My friend threw herself out of the car to run to the
other side to see if the love of her life was indeed ok. As she approached the
other side of the vehicle, she knew at that exact moment that things would be
different. The paramedics took him out of the car and rushed him into surgery
to begin the repair of facial fractures and many other serious injuries he sustained.
He currently sits in critical condition with brain swelling amidst a hundred
other things.
When my friend shared this horrific story, it reminded me of
something that is so simple but seems to be incredibly difficult. It’s a small
tragedy that each of us will go through at some point in our lives. In a blink of an eye, everything we
have ever come to know – love or
hate – can change. That’s it. In one split fucking second a moment can
alter life as we have come to know it. People we love can be gone before we can
say a word. Goals and dreams can be dashed without warning.
A story like this puts everything into crystal clear
perspective. And all of us need to cut it out. Stop taking loved ones for
granted. Stop being mean or short.
No more holding grudges. No
judging. No criticizing. Just cut
it out. All of it.
Yet it seems so difficult to look at all we have, and
realize in the blink of an eye, it could vanish. I believe, and will always believe, that we see what we want
to see. The faults we once found attractive become something we despise in
those we love. The jokes we used to laugh at come at annoyance. The once
awesomeness and dedication becomes an old memory.
Look, trust me when I say I understand how terrible people
can be. I’ve been both the asshole and the person that was put down as many of
us in life have been. Be grateful for everyone that has at some point been put
in your life. Too often we take those closest to us for granted. Too often we
focus on the flaws that other people have and not the strengths they’ve blessed
our lives with.
I did something I’ve never done before. I wrote down the
names of ten people that I felt had wronged me, or I didn’t like very much. I
thought about each individual I had jotted down and wrote three things about
them I liked. Each person, whether they ever know it or not, taught me some
kind of lesson I will be eternally grateful for.
Tell those that mean the world to you how much they mean to
you. Tell them you love them. Hug them, do stupid things with them. Live your
life as if today is the last day you’ll spend with them. I know that I’m going to give my two
little babies the biggest hug and kiss whether they want it or not the next
time I see them.
To my dear friend Amber, thank you for showing me we all
make mistakes but we love anyways. We know the mistakes of those closest to us
because we know more about them then anyone else. Love them for their flaws,
love them for everything special they do in our lives, and love them for the
many blessing s they bring to your life.
To Chris, you have a support system way beyond anything you
could ever imagined. Be the fighter you are and give it everything you got. For
someone that throws his or her body over another’s is nothing short of a real
life hero. Thank you for showing us that heroes still exist.
