I've spent the last few days running over everything in my head, but I think I've finally come to my conclusion on what to say about this particular topic. I've started this article over and over again but I think I'm finally ready to complete it.
I'm not going to sit here and describe your life and the impact you had on every single person who was blessed enough to cross your path. It would be doing you a disservice to condense the beautiful and wonderful life you lived into words because you deserve so much more than that.
In the last few months, I've really been forced to learn just how precious life is. I feel like it's something we all take for granted daily, as we become obsessed with making the perfect grades in order to get the perfect job in order to support the perfect family. We spend a majority of our time in a classroom or studying or working and letting life completely pass us.
When we're not sticking our noses into textbooks, we're out partying with friends. Whether you drink or not, you've probably done something stupid and reckless to fulfill your need for adventure. Especially in college, it seems as though everyone simply seeking short-term pleasure without any thought regarding the consequences.
Life is so beautiful and amazing and precious. We need to start taking it seriously though.
I hate that it took something as tragic as death to force me to realize exactly how amazing life really is. These last few months have been a huge wake-up call, without a doubt.
Three boys from my high school have passed away since August, all in vehicular-related accidents. Something we do on a daily basis has taken the lives of three amazing and spectacular young men way too soon.
Do you realize what this really means? It could have been any of us. I'm not saying this to scare you out of driving, but we need to start taking it more seriously. Stop texting, talking on the phone, playing with the radio, or simply getting distracted in general while driving. You're handling dangerous machinery that has the ability to take lives, which can happen in the blink of an eye if you're not paying attention.
Our lives are precious, but we spend too much time getting distracted to really appreciate them.
Everything that has happened has lately has forced me to really look at life in a new way.
Mistakes become something wonderful. Friendships become even more cherished than they already are. Family becomes a top priority. Grades and school take a backseat because you start to realize that there are so many more important things out there in the world, just waiting for you to go and claim them.
Even how you hold yourself changes. You start to reach out to people and hold them close. You smile at everyone you see and try to be nice and loving to everyone you encounter. You try to be the best version of yourself you can possibly be.
Going out on a Saturday night just doesn't seem as fun, because you would much rather spend a night in with some friends and simply enjoy each other's presence.
Death makes you realize how much of a blessing life really is. We don't have to be alive and we'll never deserve a spot in this life, especially when we take it for granted as often as we do. It can honestly be taken from us at any second and I know personally, I want to spend my time here making an impact and making people happy and doing something meaningful with my time.
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Written in loving memory of Kamran Shibly, yet another life taken way too soon. A young man who managed to make a huge, unforgettable impact on every single person he encountered. Kam, thank you for your beautiful and radical soul and bringing so much light and laughter into my life. Love and miss you forever.
