(no subject)
It's been a very trying week for me. On Valentine's Day, I got a call saying that a friend had been hit by a car as she was crossing a crosswalk and was in the ICU at the Rogue Valley Medical Center. I've spent almost everyday since there, watching her fight against the odds and supporting/being supported by her family. Last night, almost exactly a week later to the minute, my friend Gladys passed on. It's been very surreal...this has been a first in so many ways that I'm still trying to process everything. I've never had a friend die before. I've never known for certain that a person only has so many hours left...people usually just...die without warning, I guess. I've never seen a dead body before...it's just...hard.
Gladys was a beautiful girl. She was bubbly, happy, and she shone brighter than most anyone else. And it didn't matter who you were...if you were a friend or a perfect stranger, she had the power to and the kindness of spirit to reach out to you while you were in need and lift you up. Something like this really makes you look at your own life and the way you live, or the way you don't live. Life is short you guys...she was my age. The ONLY thing that is certain in life is that we will all die. That is all we know with absolute certainty. And since no one knows when their time will come, what can we do? Well simply, we must live each day to it's fullest. We must live without fear of what will happen, what people will think, how people will react, without worrying about whether or not things will work out. That's how Gladys lived, and I hope to follow in her example.
And so, I have two requests for all the people reading this. Firstly, I ask that you do something today that scares you. Do something that you're normally to shy or too cautious to do. Give a cute stranger your phone number. Go somewhere you've never been and strike up a conversation with someone. Smile at strangers as you walk by. Go out dancing. Do anything, just...share the love that for some reason we are normally to scared and shy and reserved to share with the world. I cannot stress enough how important this is to me...please, please, please...do it for me, and do it for Gladys. Should you do this for me, and feel like letting me know just how you shared the love today, please let me know in a comment on this post. Please, it would mean the world to me. Lastly, please send your prayers/well wishes/good thoughts/good karma to Gladys, her friends, and the Jaminez family.
Life is uncertainty. Don't be afraid to love, be loved, and shine.
Gladys was a beautiful girl. She was bubbly, happy, and she shone brighter than most anyone else. And it didn't matter who you were...if you were a friend or a perfect stranger, she had the power to and the kindness of spirit to reach out to you while you were in need and lift you up. Something like this really makes you look at your own life and the way you live, or the way you don't live. Life is short you guys...she was my age. The ONLY thing that is certain in life is that we will all die. That is all we know with absolute certainty. And since no one knows when their time will come, what can we do? Well simply, we must live each day to it's fullest. We must live without fear of what will happen, what people will think, how people will react, without worrying about whether or not things will work out. That's how Gladys lived, and I hope to follow in her example.
And so, I have two requests for all the people reading this. Firstly, I ask that you do something today that scares you. Do something that you're normally to shy or too cautious to do. Give a cute stranger your phone number. Go somewhere you've never been and strike up a conversation with someone. Smile at strangers as you walk by. Go out dancing. Do anything, just...share the love that for some reason we are normally to scared and shy and reserved to share with the world. I cannot stress enough how important this is to me...please, please, please...do it for me, and do it for Gladys. Should you do this for me, and feel like letting me know just how you shared the love today, please let me know in a comment on this post. Please, it would mean the world to me. Lastly, please send your prayers/well wishes/good thoughts/good karma to Gladys, her friends, and the Jaminez family.
Life is uncertainty. Don't be afraid to love, be loved, and shine.