A couple of weeks ago my tech savvy brother sent a message in my family group chat about a recent app that can notify you when you are entering a region that has a high number of illnesses. Being the sassy sister I am, I quickly responded that it was the stupidest app I have ever heard of. I reasoned that 1. if a person constantly worried about going anywhere for the sake of illness, they should probably live on an island by themselves; and 2. how could one track the amount of illness in a region? That seems a bit hard to know exactly how many colds are happening a specific time. Regardless of this nonsense app, it got me thinking about how people live life. I have written a handful of articles about living life to the fullest, but after hearing about that app, ugh, it just gets me going.

Everyone fears something that's obvious. For some their thing is spiders or snakes. For me, I have three major lifelong fears that have never left me: animals, storms, and being kidnapped. I don't know why, but for as long as I can remember I have feared those things. Life is an incredible gift and it could end at any given moment. Car accidents happen constantly and millions of random events occur. But it is time to start fully living your life and doing it fearlessly. My girl Taylor Swift has an entire album titled "Fearless," and it's bomb. She speaks of going into things headstrong and looking forward. This is a mindset one must obtain to do anything in life.

I have always been irritated when my friends tell each other, "be careful, don't like him too soon." That's great, look out for one another, no one wants a broken heart, but personally, isn't it worth it to take the chance? Maybe I am just a hopeless romantic, or just a believer in wearing your heart on your sleeve, but I always think that it is silly when people are so defensive going into a relationship or date. The whole "play-it-safe" mentality is a joke; where are you going get in life without ever putting yourself out there? I would rather be in multiple relationships knowing I gave it my best shot, and have my heart completely crushed, because to get to that point means I would have had to catch some feelings along the way. It is one heck of a ride and always a fun one, but I always think it is worth the risk.

This also goes with trying out absolutely anything. One of the biggest decisions of my life thus far was choosing to play college basketball. I took the chance and gave it a year of my time. I realized it wasn't for me, but deciding to go to DPU and try it out, was the best decision I could have ever made. I would have constantly regretted not giving it the chance, or settling to go to another school. Though basketball did not go as hoped, DePauw is the perfect place for me. And I think that's how life works, whether we can ever begin to comprehend why things happen the way that they do, it always turns out to be the way it should be.

Whether you believe in God or not, I truly believe that He has the beyond wonderful plan for every one of us. Every bump in the road, every difficult time, every flawless moment, is meant to happen. Yes, we have free choice and we can diverge from His path, but overall He will help things happen as they should, if we allow it. Though defeat and heartache hurt, oh boy, does it hurt to lose someone dear to you, both a simple breakup or a loved one passing hurt like hell. And no, it never makes sense, why their life was cut short, and it just is not fair. It simply sucks to be without someone who raised, birthed, loved, coached, taught, and multiple other things; we have to hope they are with God now.

Life is much too short to be angry and regretful. Don't hold grudges. What good does it do? Grudges do not help anything at all -- the hatred fuels the fire inside you and raises blood pressure, deepens frown lines, and makes you uglier. Happy people are the most beautiful, so get off your high horse and forgive one another. Do not be hesitant with anything. Go for it. Do not hold back, if you have an idea or a date. Try it out, see what happens! Don't go through life thinking "what if?" That's not going to take you anywhere. I'm not promoting skydiving or tatting your entire body, but live fearlessly within reason. Don't be afraid of the world; it's your sandbox, patiently awaiting the next big castle.