YOLO

You see, there are many moments in our lives that change us forever. These moments, are the ones we remember, the ones we lie in bed at night and dwell on because they either scare us, we wished they had never ever happened or they make us smile uncontrollably. I'm going to ask you, for one moment to not wish that whatever it is this opening paragraph has brought to mind had never happened and to remember.

There are some things in our lives, that have broken us, left our souls undone and our hearts feeling bruised and heavy for years. But you will never truly be strengthened by these moments until you start accepting them. Think for a moment that all the pain you had endured had never happened, that you had lived a life easy and simple. Would you still be the person you are today? The beautifully broken but stitched and seemingly fine but actually confused you. 

If I hadn't had my heart broken so often, and a somewhat, at some stages, very rocky family life or if I had not been suffering with a depression that ridiculed me and turned most of my life black. Then no, I would not have been here, I would not be able to so eloquently ask you to forgive those who have hurt you, to accept what life has dealt you, and to not fold. You see, I no longer feel sorry for myself because of the things I have gone through, I feel redeemed from it, I thank God everyday that He has brought me out of that. You see, light isn't so bright when you haven't been sitting in dark for a long time. The sun doesn't feel as good on your skin if it had not been battered by raindrops. The contrasts in your life, and those moments of heart breaking impact, is what makes you appreciate the absolute beauty in the moments that calm you, hold you content. 

The moments of impact might not be bad, a first kiss, a smile your crush gave you or your first encounter with God. But all of these moments are what rockets your life into a direction, a road untaken, a journey you have not been on before. 

So what the hell, you only live once. YOLO. People ridicule me for saying it, but I truly believe in those words. When they say you live everyday, you do, but you never stop living until you die, it's continuous, so yes YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE. But you have to make the most of it. There is no need to be scared, you will be okay, in the end when your feet are bruised from the rocky road and your face is sunburnt from the glaring sun, you will feel whole again. Always. 

You are only allowed one opportunity in this world, to make a change, to make a mark. Believe it or not, when you're gone, you're gone and that's it. I'm sorry for being morbid, but it really is the truth. So appreciate your moments of impact, let them shove you off into a thousand different directions and emotions, and allow yourself to feel, to be, to experience. You're only allowed one chance, so you better appreciate every single moment of it, while you still can.