My mom texted me this pictures and said, "We were all sooo young!!"
My reply, "Loving the outfits! We're all still young! Wait til you're 80 and I'm 58 ;)"
"We will both be old ;)"
"We could even think about daddio being 100 and us being 70 :)"
"Wouldn't surprise me the old bugger!"
"Haha you're never getting away from daddio!"
In this image my mom was almost my age, 23, and my dad was 31.
It is true, time goes by faster than you wish and here we are today 22 years later.
Some of my friends are 24 and 25, about the time a "quarter-life" crisis hits. But those of us who are 22 and 23 do not even want to think about 25. In just two years we will be looking back at accomplishments and weighing what we've "done"with our lives so far.
I want to disparage the focus of age no matter if you are 22 or 104.
Here is what really matters in your life:
1. The relationships you form with others
Significant others, family, friends, passing strangers, classmates, the barista you see every morning for your latte with skim milk.
You meet millions of different people throughout your lifetime. Whether they be long lasting relationships or a few passing minutes, you never know when you can change another person's life just by saying hello. In turn, you never know when your life will be changed by a person you meet.
This world is populated with 7 billion people. Building relationships with others is human instinct and it is fully up to you whether or not you build relationships or pass through life living for yourself.
"If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships - the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace."
~Franklin D. Roosevelt
2. Giving back
A consequence of 7 billion people on this planet is many, many, many people who are in need. Food, water, shelter, education, clothing, hygiene supplies, school supplies and love are all necessities for people to live. How many people go through life without thinking of all the suffering around us?
We see a homeless man on the corner begging for some change, but drive past him with our music cranked high. We quickly change the commercial during the weekly sitcom because you don't want to be saddened by seeing starving children.
Donate food at the local food pantry, volunteer in your community, be a big brother or big sister or start a fundraiser for you favorite non-profit organization. The simplest act is giving back to those suffering in this world.
“To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
3. Pursuing your passions
A depressing sight for my eyes to see is people who are "stuck" in a job they absolutely hate. We are all breathing, we all have time, we all have passions. Pursue your passions no matter what!
Did you have a dream when you were 12, 25, 34, 50? Have you made your dream come true? If you're shaking your head left and right, I wish you the best. It's never too late to begin and change the path in your life.
"Decide what to be and go be it"
~The Avett Brothers
4. Travel
Go see the world. I don't care how you get there, how you live there, or what you do when you're there, just go.
That was vague wasn't it? Well, traveling is extremely important in order for us to open our eyes and push us out of our comfort zones. Warning: You will be uncomfortable during at least one part of traveling. Don't worry, this is a good uncomfortable.
The people and places you see while traveling will be memorable for the rest of your life. During travel you soak in different cultures, sights, sounds, languages and food (my favorite). Most importantly, you have the opportunity to see how other people live in different environments compared to your own.
"Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends."
~Maya Angelou
I urge everyone to experience life instead of measuring your life with numbers. Is living truly living if you do not do anything worth living for? Ponder that one.
Stay Joyful,
Jess
awesome!
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