Life Changer

A few weeks ago, there was an event in my world that unexpectedly changed my life. After some reflection following the event, I figured out what's important and what's not. Mostly, how I want to live the rest of my life. Here's what I came up with.

In several capacities this year, I have been reminded of the immensity of love. Through exciting vicissitudes that have been celebrated to heartbreaking experiences that have been grieved, it has been reiterated how powerful love can be, and what a difference it makes.

I vow to love hard. I am going to fall in love with as many things as I possibly can. There are several cities that hold a special place in my heart, however, for the first time this year, I fell in love with a city (Asheville, NC) and I can't wait to find another one that makes me feel that same way.

Smart is sexy. Smart is powerful. I want to learn more. I want to earn my MBA. I want to earn my APR. I want to learn a new language. I want to never have to refer to my AP Style Handbook. And I can. And I will.

Being mean gets you absolutely nowhere. I have had some great days that have instantly turned on me because someone came out of left field with something ugly. It hurts, and I refuse to do that to someone else. I will continue to be kind. I will continue to be grateful. And I will make absolutely certain that people leave a conversation with me feeling better. Feeling good. Feeling appreciated. Praise is power. If someone does a good job with something, I will praise that.

Laughter cures all. You all know my laugh is anything but subtle. I am going to laugh hard and laugh often. I will laugh at all the wrong times. And all of the right times. I will laugh until I cry. I will laugh at things that are completely inappropriate. And I will laugh as loudly as I want without caring what anyone thinks.

I will make a concerted effort to not sweat the small stuff. I will try to not waste my imagination on worrying about what I cannot control. I will try with all of my heart to learn how to be patient. I am flawed. I am very aware that I am flawed. I am sensitive and impatient and I have been since day one. I don't know if that can change, but I promise to try.

I will tell the people I care about exactly how I feel about them. I will tell them that they've changed my life in so many incredible ways. That they've shaped me into who I am. That I miss them, all of them, every single day. That without them, I wouldn't survive. I will remind them how important they are. And I will do this often.

If the day comes, I will strive to be as amazing of a parent as both Dock and Dizz are. I will never, ever make my children feel alone. I will forgive them for their mistakes and flaws. I will hold their hand at the doctors office. Even when they're 26. I will support absolutely anything they find themselves to be passionate about. I will laugh with them, cry with them, suffer and celebrate with them. Every day.

I am saddened that something so painful happened to someone that I love very much, but I truly believe that he was brought into my life for a reason - and that has been confirmed. He taught me who I am.