I turned nineteen this past December; nineteen is one of those weird, in-between ages. They don't make Birthday cards for age 19, at least as far as I know, because it just so happens to fall between two milestones, 18 and 21. At 21, you can legally drink and gamble, the keyword here being "legally," and at 18 you can vote (and gamble at some Indian casinos such as Morongo). But before 18, there was 16, when you got to step behind the wheel and experience the freedom brought on by a driver's license, and even before 16 there was 13, when you took your first shaky steps into those awkward teen years. I'm sure your beginning to wonder where I am going here, and this talk about ages and greeting cards is getting a little dry, but I find something very interesting about the whole thing. It seems that some people, most people, spend their lives bouncing from one pressing event to the next. Ten a.m. meetings, dinner with friends, kids' Birthday parties, Spring Break, concerts, vacations, weddings, and funerals. We're constantly marking up our calendars or punching dates into our blackberries to remind us of things that we both look forward to and dread. We count down the days and the hours, and plan our lives around what's to come rather than look at what is right in front of us. Everyone seems to have a clear view of the oncoming checkpoints and rest stops on this road trip we call life, but at the same time, appear completely oblivious of the breathtaking scenery unfolding around them. We are all so reluctant to take a detour and stray from the set path.
Stop abbreviating your life and just live it. Live for what you have and don't waste time wallowing in all that you are missing. Live for what you could do and who you could be rather than mourn the way the world should be. We all have the power to shape our own destinies and change the course of the path we're on if we are not happy. The truth is that life is short, which is why it is important for us to remember that our lives are ours to live. They should mean something. After all, we're all headed towards a similar endpoint, so we might as well make the trip there a great one.
Rather than merely celebrate the passing of a new year, why not simply celebrate the fact that we have lived to see another day when so many others will not get that chance. Even when you feel like you are at the end of your rope and life has broken you beyond repair., remember that there is always someone out there who is far worse off that you. We are very resilient creatures, and we won't break unless we allow someone or something to break us. Yes it's true that life is far from perfect, but as much as it could be better, it could always be worse. I will end this post with some words of wisdom to better underline my purpose. Until next time, take care and remember to not abbreviate your life!

"And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance," Leann Womack.

"When your hourglass runs out of sand you can't flip it over start again/Take every breath God gives you for what it's worth," Kenny Chesney.

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away," unknown.