Love. Hatred. Pain. Relief. Sorrowful. Joy. Hope. Fear. Hopeful. Hopeless. Light. Darkness. Determined. Unmotivated. Stressed. Relaxed. Warmth. Bitterness. Lost. Found. Trapped. Free. Peace. War. Weak. Strong. Numb. Alive.

I felt every single one of this emotions plus millions of others flow rapidly through my bloodstream over the course of these past several months. This summer (or just this year in general) has truthfully been one of the most confusing times during my almost twenty years of being on this earth. One moment, I'm on top of the world. The next, I'm empty and lacking in any emotion whatsoever - quite similar to a ghost floating aimlessly through the air simply observing everything yet never an active participant. It was a year of constant change and movement. I had never been so hopeless and hopeful in my entire life. It had been like I died only to be reborn again a million different times. A curse, yet a blessing in disguise, and a blessing nonetheless - the light seeping through the darkness.

Each emotion comes in waves. Some lasting for weeks; others for only a few hours. When I look out into the sea and see the waves crashing against the shoreline, it actually reminds me a lot of life itself. Perhaps that's all life is...simply an endless amount of waves, trials, tests. A series of challenges that try to break you and put your strength to the test. Some waves will be so large and monstrous that they'll destroy nearly everything in its path, and it's up to us to pick up all the broken pieces and start rebuilding. And just like the ocean, the waves are inevitable and are bound to come crashing sooner or later. But the good news is that all waves pass and no wave is identical to the other. Some waves are easier to get through than others.

And perhaps each sunrise is a new wave, washing up everything from the day before, and a new chance to start fresh--all 365 of them. Maybe not much has changed from today and the day before, but the possibility is always there. Hope never abandons us. You could literally change your life at any given second. Stop wasting precious time and realize the power is in you. There is always time. Change is happening all the time. Don't allow the waves to swallow you whole and pull you under. No matter how dark and threatening they appear, don't allow them to destroy you. Go with the natural flow of the ocean and accept change. Continue jumping over waves and you'll make it to shore.