I should probably be dead by now.
In my 21 years on this earth, I have endured accidents that would’ve ended the lives of many others. I have split my head open on four occasions, I’ve nearly drowned twice, I’ve had a ceramic piñata smashed on my head, I’ve fallen off a 7-foot bunk bed and smashed my head against a desk, I’ve fallen off the back of a pick-up truck and smashed my head against concrete ground, I’ve almost choked to death on Jolly Ranchers, and I was almost impaled by a large rusty construction rod. Yet I am still here.
For one reason or another — be it God’s will or just plain luck — I am still here. Whenever I feel depressed, lonely or heartbroken I look back at all those times in which I faced the dark abyss and thank God that I get to be here now.
When I was a junior and senior in high school, I lost three friends. Two of them passed away in the span of a month because of accidents, and one of them died due to a complication in what was supposed to be a routine surgery. The third friend, a girl named Mariana, was one of the kindest people I have ever known. Even though I wasn’t overly attached to her — I don’t pretend to project falsity on such a delicate subject — I did care about her. Mariana was one of the most ecstatic and cheerful souls I have ever met. And now she’s gone. She had been struggling with a lung-related illness for quite a while, and one October afternoon, it was all over.
I distinctly remember I was playing the soccer videogame FIFA when my mom got the call; Mariana had passed away. I had called to ask her out about a month before her death, and now that won’t be possible. I only realized how much I cared about Mariana after she was gone. I will never be able to tell her how important she is to me. And that sucks.
I can only imagine what hundreds of people would do to have one more day, hour, minute or moment with Mariana. Or what millions of people would do to have another instant with the loved ones they have lost, for that matter. But that’s impossible.
The point of this spiel is to make people realize they should appreciate every single moment they have. A more colloquial adaptation of this sentiment is the infamous “YOLO,” but it’s true. Every time you sulk in loneliness, sadness and horror, realize that at least you can feel.
Try and open yourself to as much as possible in as many ways as possible during your short time on this pale blue dot. We’re all here for a reason.
I have been in situations in which I have faced the dark abyss several times, and every single time I come out of it I get a new outlook on life. It makes me thankful that I get to be here right now. And you should too.
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Follow Ricardo Avila Alvarez on Twitter: @RAvila27
