Life is too short....

"We both know that life is too short. Too short to waste one single second with anyone who doesn't appreciate and value you." -The Truth About Forever

The above quote is found in my favorite book, The Truth About Forever. The author, Sarah Dessen, has Wes, a young man who is finally getting his life back on track, say this to Macy, a young girl who is trying to find her place in the world. What I like most about this quote is the fact that Sarah has definitely nailed something on the head here. Life is indeed too short, I think that we can all come to that conclusion. Therefore because life is too short we should not waste a single second with anyone or anything that doesn't appreciate who we are as people or degrades our values.  My question is why do people not realize how short life is until something drastic hits them in the head? Or better yet, why do people waste time not appreciate the things that are good in life? 


I will say that being away from home is a lot tougher than I imagined. For starters I 100% miss the food that my mom and dad make every night. I almost feel as if I do not eat as much as I should because the food in the cafeteria is barely manageable. Now I know I should not be complaining about the food, because there are people who are much worse off than I am, but still. Then there is the issue of not having a car to drive. Granted that I do not necessarily need it to get from class to class, that is why God gave us two feet, but it would be nice to take the burden off my parents from having to drive and come get me when I want to see my little brother's football, basketball, and baseball games. Furthermore, as I am delving into my freshman year it would be really nice to have a car to drive around to all these places that I would like to volunteer at, you know I cannot walk to every single destination that I would like to be at. Heck I even miss my brother being a pest to me, and having my dog around the house. Things are just different. Anyway, that is besides the point. What I am trying to get at here is to not take the little things for granted, hold onto them and cherish them. Life is too short, and sometimes I am afraid that I will not realize those good things in life until they are gone.


In the book Macy is a young girl who thinks that she has to be perfect, if she strays one inch from being perfect then her world is going to fall apart. This idea was planted in her head because of her father's death earlier on in the book. Macy never took the time to grieve for her father, instead she was worried about taking care of her mother and sister. Macy continued life each day during that summer as a simple routine. Wake up, eat breakfast, go to work at the library, study SAT vocabulary word, eat dinner, sleep, the end. Suddenly one day at her mother's dinner party, something chaotic was thrown in her way. Macy met this group of people, Delia's Wish Catering Company. They are so full of life that she cannot even see herself to be amongst them. They represent one word: imperfection. 


Now, in the words of Miley Cyrus, "Nobody's Perfect".  I don't think that there is a perfect being on this planet because we all have our flaws and we have all made mistakes. The thing that we can strive for is perfection, however long that may be. We can try to correct our wrongs or even try to reach the unthinkable, but no body can be perfect. Macy, as hard as she tries cannot be perfect. By her trying to be perfect she continues to become unsatisfied with her life. Only when chaotic and life living people enter her life does she realize how much she dislikes her life. 


I'm not really sure what the point of this entry is, but I am just trying to hammer out thoughts in my head. I have taken a writing hiatus, and look where it has gotten me, just simply rambling on and on and on about nonsense things. I cannot ask each and everyone of you to read this book and to fall in love with the book like I did, but I will say it is a must read, and I hope that one day you will take the time to read it. You will be surprised how much you can connect to it. Maybe not directly to connect, but you can certainly feel what the author was trying to write about and what type of message she was trying to convey. 


Life is too short to be living self guarded and scared. Life is meant to be lived being happy, having fun, and finding your purpose in life and to make those around you happy. Life is found in many different forms.... maybe it is found in your studies, your music, your friends/ family, or even your experiences. 


Surround yourself by those who truly value you for who you are and by those who appreciate the little things that you do for them and even the little things that they do for you!