Be Extraordinary!

Sometimes, you are in the thick of life and you do not always see the big picture. You are focused so intently on the problems or goals of the day or you stay flustered with multiple responsibilities that you do not see the direction that you are headed.

I am sitting here at midnight wanting so badly to find the words that will accurately portray my thoughts. It always seems that my writings fail to capture my thoughts completely but I will try regardless.

For the past three months if not my whole college career, it seems that everyday is a race to get as much accomplished as quickly as possible. Everyday, you are focused in on the hundreds of things that need to be done and you prioritize these goals according to importance. This goes on from one day right into the next with no time to rest or gain composure. To survive you have to stay confident and focus on the positive. There is no time allotted for doubt. You have to block out your fears and keep your head down while plowing through each obstacle. If you allow your fears to grow roots, you will find yourself falling apart with no hope.

I have been so busy and I have been working so hard that I forget to just take a deep breath and live in the moment. I'm always anticipating the next struggle that I must conquer. Today, I had to stop and stand still for a moment. I had to look at my life from a distance and just be thankful.

I am at a good place in my life with a lot to look forward to. I have been blessed with great opportunities and abilities. I have an amazing wife that supports me and loves me for who I am and we have so much fun together. I have the most beautiful and unique daughter. Her laugh alone is enough to make me realize the beauty in life. 

I am grateful to be the person that I am today. My thankfulness even runs as deep as each and every idea that enters my mind. I am even thankful for my failures and mistakes for they have brought treasures through enlightenment and retrospect. Even the tiniest increment of time in my life has had an effect on who I am today. That is simply amazing.

I am thankful for my beliefs and the experiences that brought about my enlightenment. Yes, I am proud to be a liberal and a hippie. I am proud to be someone who takes a stand for their beliefs. I am thankful to have a mind of my own that is not influenced or silenced by those around me. 

I am thankful for the gift of music. Music may seem so unimportant to some, but I believe it to be one of the most powerful forces on this earth. Without music, our lives would be so bland and boring. 

I am thankful for the sun. Some people exalt invisible forces but I have found that the sun is most powerful, tangible and real thing that we experience. The sun controls our moods, gives us warmth and comfort. In the transition from the long overcast winter months, we are given a remarkable gift through the sun. A power that I find important enough to have displayed proudly and permanently on my skin.

I am thankful for all things natural. Water and trees. Love, beauty and peace. I am thankful for science and medicine. Intelligence and concept.

I am thankful for the chance that I have been given to change the world around me and make it a better place. 

I guess that I am saying, everything is important. I am thankful for all things. We have all been blessed with amazing lives. Do not live your life in anticipation of a second chance. Make this life count. Realize each day that you are given is a gift, NOT just a stepping stone towards the next. LIVE AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE! NOT AN EXTRA ORDINARY LIFE!