Life moves pretty fast..

Lately I've been thinking a lot about getting older.  I've been thinking a lot about what my life is going to be like 5 years from now, 10 years from now, etc.  I don't mind getting older.  To be honest, it excites me to think about all the things to come; all the possibilities.  Nonetheless, the sad but inevitable truth is that, as I get older, so do my parents.

Since both of my parents are morticians, I've been around death my whole life.  Hell, I lived in apartment above a funeral home until I was five {very My Girl, I know}.  However, I had never really thought much about growing older, or what my life would be like without my parents.  That is, until mom was put in ICU for over a month this past March.

We go through life thinking we have so much "control" over our lives, but when things like that happen, when you are blindsided by life's little (not so great) surprises - you realize the lack of control you have over your life.

 While she was peacefully sleeping in ICU,  my thoughts were filled with regret.  I wished so badly I could take back all those fights we had in high school over me attending parties, my cell phone bill, cleaning my room, doing my chores, etc.  All I wanted to do was hug her, hear her voice, and tell her how much I loved her.

  When you're young, you are so engrossed in the idea of growing up, moving out, getting into college, getting a "real job," that you don't really think about the not so sunny side of life.  You're full of hope & your world is filled with possibilities.  However, everyone is different.  Each person's perspective is altered by their life experiences, so I can't speak for everyone.  I can just say that in high school, I honestly was so naive to believe that nothing bad was ever going to happen to me, my friends, or my family.  My biggest crisis was being grounded and not being able to go to the Friday night football game {ah, remember those days?}.

We live our lives every day at such a fast pace.  We fall in love, fall out of love, make friends, change friends, move away, work hard, play hard and get lost in the chaos of our everyday lives.  With that being said, do we all truly "live our lives like it's our last day?"  Probably not, but we do the best we can, and we get by.

However, you are never guaranteed tomorrow. Spend time with the one(s) you love & enjoy each and every moment.  Pick your battles.  Choose to trust and fall in love.  Be spontaneous.  Don't let people discourage you from reaching your dreams.  Take time for yourself, even if it's just a bubble bath with a glass of wine {my personal favorite "me time"}.  Don't live too fast.  

{These are the thoughts that have consumed my life for the past few months...welcome to my life.} (:

Ferris Bueller is right:

"Life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you might miss it."