Taking others and the important people or things in your life for granted is something I've learned to overcome on some aspects. It's crucial that we recognize the ones that we hold so close to us and grip them tighter because you never know when you will lose them. I've learned this lesson many times throughout my childhood with going through certain situations that have changed me to be who I am today. Specifically, my father and what I have had to go through and witness in terms of the struggles and hardships of his life and the certain mentality that was imposed on my family and I. This made me cherish the philosophy of holding onto the ones you love.
My freshman year of high school was the tipping point of it all. The school year was coming to a close with the month of April ahead and the joy of summer was just ahead of us. The routine, as usual, wake up early, go to school, come back home and watch YouTube along with the procrastination of my homework until late hours. It was one weekend when my mom was watching my brother and I while my dad was on a Business trip in Arizona. The phone rang and my mother was the first one to answer as I made my way back to the bedroom from the kitchen. Soon after a couple of moments of silence, mom breaks this with a startling scream. Being confused, I rush back to the kitchen to witness the tears that have begun to stream down my mother's face. On the other end of the line was a state trooper in Arizona. I could make out only a few words from the call but knew it had something to do with my father. Minutes pass and she tells me that my father had been in an accident while on the highway. I drop. It's like all the emotions had been slowly vacuumed straight out of my own body. My mother goes on to explain that a ladder had been loosely tied to a pick-up and had fallen off to be left sprawling on the highway and for my dad to collide with his motorcycle. This lead to him catapulting off his vehicle at around 90 miles per hour and breaking 9 ribs, puncturing a lung, road rashes, a fractured skull and injuries beyond such. It's as if my whole life had changed and boy was I right.
After my mother's departure from Washington State to Arizona the same day the phone call was received, my brother and I were left on our own as our aunt made her way up from Seattle to watch over us. Being left in shock I still couldn't comprehend what was going on and remained emotionless. About a week had passed when I was finally able to fly down to see my father and the condition that he was in. Walking into the hospital room to only be greeted by the stench of urine and the needles that were skewered into my father as well as the constant beeping of machinery and the lifeless body that was before my eyes. The results came in and my father had gone into a coma.
Long story short, the change of events that had suddenly shifted my life into a complete chaotic mess gave me an important lesson to hang onto throughout my life. Although it may have taken me months to recover from and return me back to my original state, don't ever let go of the moments and loved ones that you hold close to you. It's important that we build as a community and not take the simple things in life or the entities that we are so used to and recognize the powerful role of the impact made on ourselves. If we don't abide by this philosophy, then we are only swallowed by the hate and carelessness of the world and cannot carry on as beings.
