Day 7: Someone who has made my life worth living for

Well the obvious answer is my children, my family, and the people that make my life meaningful. I recently reread the book the five people you meet in heaven by Mitch Albom and I was trying to figure out who I would choose to see when s/he died because of the impact it had on my life.

I think the first would be Bubba. That's not him real name, it is the name of every person, we are all bubbas. He took my inspired love of people and of helping and molded it into something beautiful. It's easy to lose the drive to do something nice for another person. Let's face it, people can be callous and cruel because the competition of life ages the soul. We forget those moment where a helping hand or a smile from a stranger changed our day. Bubba inspired me to be that stranger. He taught me what it really meant to help others and how although it was nice to be recognized or to have the favor returned in the future, it was not the reason I should be a good person. I should be a good person because everything in the world is connected and I'm a part of that. I think the most important thing he taught me was about peace. No matter what two people face each other, the bubba, the god, the soul, the peace in me can recognize the same in the other. Our ability to connect is based on our willingness to open up to another person, and that makes life worth living.

The second would be Mrs. Robin. She worked in my elementary school library. I loved her so much, I continued volunteering at that library through high school. Being around her was almost magic, like we were always part of an amazing story. I never stopped loving reading and writing because being around her reminded me how horrible it would be to live without that energy and creativity. I often think of her wen i sit down to work on something. She was one of those people that seemed to know everything and exuded positive energy and luck from her being. She was my greatest friend, mentor, and ally, depending on what I needed that day. In the process of fostering me, she weaved in work ethic and positive reinforcement while building my spirit. I think I have a lot to thank her for that I haven't fully realized even now.

The third would be a boy I loved in high school, then hated while loving, then wrote off, then forgave, and now am friends with. Our relationship/friendship has taught me more about my ability to learn and grow than anyone I've ever known. He was a guy who burned like fire, passion and aggression, love and compassion, and that's what I both loved and hated about him. I always thought about him, wondering if he was all right because our good terms and bad terms and crazy drama created this vortex of connectivity. The closer we were, the further we drained one another. He's one of those people I will always love but am thankful I'm not with. The amount we've both grown and how easy it is to be friends now reminds me that I have to trust myself with my decisions. No decision will bring about the end of all that is good in my life. In fact, the harder things get, the better I can hope for. Life is worth living because one of the worst choices in my life has created a world of possibilities in turn giving me a friend to turn to.

The last two are more recent and connected. I barely get to speak to him anymore, but my life changed for the better in a large part to a friend that did everything he could to be the best friend possible to me when I needed him the most. He introduced me to new music, new places, new friends, and let me get away from the world for awhile when I needed to. He gave me a taste of what life could be if I started standing up for myself, taking a few risks, and stopped believing the negative. The impact our conversations and the time I had to write have had on my life are immeasurable. He showed me how I could be the person to change my life and make it worth living. That's the last person. Ultimately, it is up to me to fill my life with events, people, places, and the decisions I make should be to make my life worth loving to live for.