Going Up, Up, Up

Be ready to live and it'll be ripped right out of my hands
Maybe someday we'll take a ride
We'll go up, up, up and everything will be just fine

As I was procrastinating from my work tonight, I came across this awesome video about this amazing AMAZING kid. You need to watch this video. SERIOUSLY.

Zach Sobiech was diagnosed with terminal osteosarcoma (a rare form of bone cancer) in 2012 and recently passed away. When diagnosed, he decided to forgo more treatments and potential amputations in favor of living his life as fully as possible. One of the things he did was turn to music to express himself and leave his own legacy on the world.

Watching this, I'm reminded of just how much I have been blessed with. I am so incredibly lucky in my life and I so often lose sight of that. So often the problems I have seem so important and so earth shakingly large when really they are completely inconsequential. What do I have to complain about? I am alive and healthy and loved. That is everything. That right there is everything.

Every once in a while we need to remember this - we need to refocus on what is important. We need to remember that life is precious and is FULL of beautiful moments. I need to start living better - like my time here is limited. Because it is.

Put your hand on your heart. Do you feel it beating? Do you? You're ALIVE right now. How amazing is that? You have time to do things. You have this moment and the next and the next. But don't wait for the next moment - seize one right now to take full advantage of your life as it is right now.

Tell the people you love how much they mean to you. Do the things that make you happy. Approach every day not as a burden or something to get through, but as an opportunity to find beauty or happiness and sow these things in the lives of others. Do not be bound by fear - fear of being judged, fear of failing, fear of the unknown. Embrace your own power and love what you are. The right people will love you too.

So even though it's 1:40 AM and I still have half a paper to write, laundry to do, studying, and sleeping to do before practice tomorrow I am so happy in this moment to be alive and ready to make even more changes in my life.

This life is precious. Don't waste it.

Also check out Zach's song "Clouds" - sweet, charming, sad, and happy all at once.