An ode to Life

I have a couple posts to catch up on, but my time and energy are limited tonight, so I thought I would write the most important one right now, and save the more light-hearted and Lonely-Planet-ish for tomorrow.
I want to dedicate this blog to all the beautiful people in my life... the ones who have touched me from birth, to the ones who have stopped momentarily to intervene in my everyday banter. I want to dedicate this blog to Life. The life that zooms by your eyes when you're in your car, the one that you can almost touch with your fingers when you're in front of a magnificent sunrise, the life that curses through your veins when your heart pumps extra hard at the sound of the voice of someone you love so much. I want to dedicate this blog to the life that we sometimes take for granted, letting its precious minutes slip by us, as we complain we wished we had a better life. This blog is for those who are clinging to their lives,by threads of transparent hope wishing they had the Life that you and I are able to wake up to everyday. This blog is dedicated to the Life you know you want to have, and that you're working so hard for, even though sometimes you feel that you're throwing your days away in search of that life.

A very, very close friend of mine has been diagnosed with a very treatable, very curable cancer, that has been caught in time. He is 26, and has his whole LIFE in front of him. In my heart of hearts, there is NO doubt that he will beat it, as his body and mind are some of the strongest I have ever encountered. But, the sudden manner in which it appeared, and how quickly he has found himself in chemo really made me think about how thankful I am for what I have already lived and what is ahead of me.

My own sister, last weekend, also had the chance to be thankful for Life. She was incredibly lucky to escape unscratched and unscathed from what could have been another deadly accident at the Portman Bridge. But, she's okay.. and that makes me want to celebrate Life.

So to all of you out there, who are struggling in the mornings to get out of bed, who have lost the spark that makes your heart race, who wonder how long they will be trapped in the routine they have created for themselves... Stop. Stop, and make a list of what you're thankful for in life. I did it, as I was on the train back from my weekend, and I found myself writing for an hour. I had a list in which I thanked the powers that be from everything to forgiveness, to crepes in Paris, to my family, and to my warm house and full fridge.

I know I'm sounding a little like a Hallmark card here. I can't help it... I need to live the life that has been given to me as fully as I can, for as long as I can. If I don't, I will feel like everyday I'm going about rushing through moments when I should've been paying attention, and later on will have the anxiety that I have missed something really important. Your life, your REAL life, is not about being gifted, about having money, about your successes in school or work, about your car, about your education, circumstances, or failures. Your REAL life revolves around your attitude. Everyday, you have the chance to choose your attitude, and thus, choose your life. What will you choose tomorrow? And the rest of the week?

I can't think of a good, strong way to end this Ode to Life, other than to leave you with this:
" Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending"
- Maria Robinson