Tuesday, June 2, 2009

This I Believe


I believe in family dinners; even the kind that give you a headache or make you want to spend time with someone who is not family. The thing about family is they are a lot of who you are because they are your roots; even when you may not like where they try to anchor you. At dinner, you can see yourself in them; your similarities and differences; your good points and your flaws. You can never have enough time with these people. I learned this while sitting in the waiting room of the hospital, frantic, scared to death, and unsure of what would happen. Everything was going well in the life of the fourteen year old me, and without any indicators, it was nearly turned upside down forever. In the longest hours of my life, I learned that I could not stand the sight of an empty chair at the dinner table. For a week, a part of me was missing; until the dinner table was full again. I got a second chance to really appreciate my family and what they do for me. Next time, that second chance might not exist. Do-overs are rare, and you can never really go back to change what you said or did. I believe in making the most of opportunities, for everything. The events that occur in my life are just as much a part of me as the people in my life. I learn from both of them. Sometimes I hate them; like them; love them; but they are still a part of me. I don’t waste opportunities or family dinners because I don’t want to wake up feeling like I wasted the time that I have. Everything can change in a matter of hours, minutes, or even seconds, and life does not come with do-overs.