Ever since I was two, death has been after me. We were eating at one of our regular family gatherings, and I learned the hard way that chicken wings may not be the best food for a 2-year-old. In all of my toddler brilliance, I took the whole wing down in a single gulp. Hours later I woke up in the ER, hearing the words that would become all-too familiar: “You could have died.” Unfortunately, when we moved to America, Death would follow.
In the summer leading up to my freshman year, my family took a tour bus road trip to the Grand Canyon. It’s not exactly frigid in Arizona, so I set my jacket down on a rock to take some pictures. Satisfied with the quality of my photos, I turned to leave – and slipped on my jacket. I fell over a cliff, tumbling end over end until I was caught by some shrubbery. As I regained my composure, I peered beyond the shrubs and noticed the mile-long drop to the bottom of the ravine that was a mere three inches from where I landed. Once again, Death had me at his doorstep, but I refused to enter.
A few years later, I remember a doctor glancing up wearily from his clipboard. “Fractured collarbone and abrasions on your left side,” he read. “You’re lucky. You could have died.” Those were the parting words between my doctor and I after the accident. He was right: According to the police report, the car was traveling upwards of 50 miles per hour and I was chugging along on a 4-year-old bike. The impact, I was told, held several million pounds of force. It was yet another miracle that I was alive.
All my life, it seems, I have been on the run from Death, and I have not taken his presence lightly. Any day could be that day where you slip on your jacket and careen off a mountain or choke on a chicken bone, so I make the most out of everything life throws my way, from the monotonous to the extraordinary. I try to invent things like the black highlighter, Altoids that give you bad breath and waterproof sponges. I have to go out and explore the world because when else would I have the chance?
I believe in making every second count. I believe in doing things you love until the very last minute. I believe in making people smile just because. After all these years, I’m proud of what I’ve done in the face of Death, and I will continue to laugh in his face as I make the most of what life brings me.
