Last week, someone I went to high school with died in a car accident. There was an outpouring of support, love, and prayers for him and his family on Facebook and Twitter, and my small town was brought closer together. In the midst of it all, the biggest thing that I saw tweeted and retweeted was this: Life is too short. It's important to take the time to tell the people you love how much you love them while they can still hear you.
But what does that mean? How can we do it?
It means that our time here is limited. We don't know if we're going to get 10, 20, or 80 years to make our mark on the world. It means we don't say the words "I love you" enough. We're either too scared to say it or we assume people know it.
It means we have to use our time wisely. We have to do everything we can to make a positive impact on the world in whatever time we have. We have to do what we can to make ourselves and other people happy. It means we have to muster up the courage to say we love someone and stop assuming everyone in our life knows it already.
So stop whatever you're doing, and call home. Call your mom, your dad, your grandmother, your brother, your sister, your best friend. Text them if you can't call them. Tell them you love them, that they mean a lot to you. Thank them for everything they've done for you, even if neither of you can pinpoint just one specific thing. Show them that you care about them.
More often than not, we get weighed down with schoolwork and forget to call our parents to let them know that we're getting through the week OK. And if we do take the time to call them, we don't always tell them that we love them. Sure, there's the quick "love you too, bye" at the end, but does that really count? Does it really hold as much meaning as saying, "I love you, Mom and Dad"?
Sometimes even our friends fall to the wayside, and we forget to tell them how much they mean to us. Our friends are the ones who listen to our petty complaints, help us with our big issues, and make us laugh even when we think we can't. But we don't tell them how much we appreciate them and love them.
Tell the people you haven't talked to in a while that you still care about them. Ask them how they're doing. Forgive anyone in your life who has done you wrong, and let go of any hate you may carry.
Life is too short to do anything but love and create happiness. There is absolutely no denying it. So don't forget to tell the people in your life just how much you love them. Make yourself happy. Don't take any moment for granted. Because you never know.
Rest easy, Diesel. My thoughts and prayers are with you, your family, your friends, and every life you touched.
