I’m that girl on Monday. Constantly getting “how are you so happy all the time? Do you ever get upset?” Or “chill with the coffee” (I don’t drink caffeine) My life isn’t perfect, I have struggles, but my belief; optimism, dictates how I choose to handle them.
I’m fortunate my family loves travel. Anywhere we go my father insists on driving us through the slums. Hearing someone whine they didn’t get the latest iPhone is pretty ridiculous when people starve to death and live in shacks. This global consciousness contributed to my affinity for history and current affairs. I have a difficult time with petty drama while studying human rights abuses. This sparked a desire to help those who weren’t born as fortunate. I volunteer for multiple outreach programs. When people you work with experience everything from incest to domestic violence it’s difficult to feel sorry for yourself.
As a child, my dad lost his father to cancer on Christmas. He’s instilled a strong sense of mortality in me. Coming from a poor immigrant family he worked two jobs, including the night shift to pay for college. He aced his LSATS but relinquished his dream of becoming a lawyer to work, paying off medical debts and supporting his mother and addict sister. My family’s close, the thought of losing one of them is unfathomable. I’ve asked my dad how he managed, his response; “At the end of the day all any of us can do is pick up the pieces and move on.” Wisdom gained after years of anger when a friend pointed out “it wasn’t fair, life’s not fair. But you can use it as an excuse for the rest of your life or go out and conquer it in his honor.”
My family’s close because my mother’s Saint, always working to foster a loving environment. Her parents had an ugly divorce and she was trapped alone with her insane homicidal suicidal mother (who had already been abusive) for years. Taking psychology I was perplexed when learning how easy it is to mess up a child, but instead of making her crazy too it made her want to be the opposite.
My brother has a congenial brain defect, impairing motor function, giving him migraines and seizures. He keeps it a secret, never wanting to use it as an excuse, never wanting special treatment and is one of the most accomplished people I know. His attitude is much like my amazing grandfather’s, losing everything to Parkinson’s and my uncle’s living with a grapefruit sized brain tumor given months to live years ago.
Senior year I lost two lifelong friends to a drunk driver and have since watched their families crumble.
Life can end at any point. People make fun of me for saying “I love you” too often to my family, but quite frankly anytime could be the last time you see someone. I live in such a way that if I were to die at any moment I would be completely content. Bad things happen, but it could always be worse. Solve the problem or deal with it. Anything else is simply dwelling on the negative, wasting time that could have been positive. We only get one life, no excuses, no guarantees. I refuse to waste it.