Hey everybody! Sorry for not posting in a while – I’ve been swamped with working, working out, and enjoying what’s left of my three weeks of summer break.  Hope you enjoy today’s post.

This past weekend I drove up to Claremont to visit one of my best friends from college, Shelby, and her twin sister, Cassidy for their 19th birthday. We celebrated their last year before entering into their twenties with an elegant afternoon tea complete with scones, chocolate covered strawberries, and tiny sandwiches. After the par(tea) Shelby and I ventured into Pasadena to  grab some FroYo and see Batman: The Dark Knight Rises, which got me thinking. While walking into the Arclight, I took note of the recent security precautions which included monitors in the bathrooms, all personnel on walkie-talkies, and a speech at the beginning of the movie about the recent events in Aurora, CO. Throughout Batman (which I definitely recommend), I constantly found myself scanning all four entrances and thinking about the victims, instead of enjoying the film.  In light of the recent tragedy, I wanted to blog about the preciousness of life, and the impact this event has had on me.

Growing up, I was told Daddy would always come back from the war as I pointed to random helicopters in the sky – he always did, but not everyone is as lucky. I couldn’t imagine how much different my life would be if I had my Mom, Dad or Sister taken away early on like those in Colorado. I can only send my prayers and well wishes to those knee-deep in the tragedy, sitting bedside hoping their son or daughter will wake up, or those grieving their brother or sister amongst the hundreds media feeding upon their losses.

Life is short, shorter than I can convey in words but worth mentioning. I’m almost 20, a fourth done with my life (based on California life expectancy) , and although I’ve seen more than my fair share of the world, I can’t help but think “What haven’t I done?”My life is a roller coaster with no end, I don’t know when the next drop will be or how loud I scream – I’m like a child on Splash Mountain for the very first time.

To answer my question, “What haven’t I done?” I’ll tell you this: I haven’t lived. I’ve been “living” presuming my worth based upon the number of championships beneath my belt, the number of stamps in my passport and number of Facebook friends I have. It’s not about that though. As Dan Millman said in his book about his personal journey (our soccer required reading), “You can live a whole lifetime never being awake” – which is so true.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that from now on, I’ll be living as if my life depended on it, instead of going through the motions, reacting the way I’m expected to act, and doing things half-assed. I will be letting those I love know that they are cherished and reaching out to those who I’ve lost contact with, because God forbid, if any one of my friends or family were to die tomorrow I couldn’t bare to live with myself without letting them know how much they mean to me.

So if anything, give your parents a big hug tonight, text your cousin “Hey” and let a great professor know how much of an impact they’ve had on you because life has a crazy messed up way of working and we can never be certain of when that next big drop on the roller coaster of life is going to be.

Peace and love to all.

Meg’s Recommend Reading of the Week: Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman