“People say you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. Truth is, you knew what you had, you just never thought you’d lose it.”
If you’ve lost something that meant a lot to you, did you feel this way? Oftentimes, when you’ve lost something or someone that has meant a lot to you, you can deeply connect with this quote. Most of the times, it’s because you took that something for granted. It doesn’t make you selfish or rude, it makes you human. We all do it at one point- we get something within our grasp, and the fear that we could lose it at any second doesn’t even cross our minds. When it becomes too late, that's when we realize what we had, and that's when we realize that we didn’t appreciate it as much as we should’ve.
Many of us have all lost a loved one, and if you haven’t, then you truly don’t understand how lucky you are. When we hear about a friend or family’s death, one of the first thoughts that come to mind is "why that person?" The person who would have done anything for you and vice versa, the person you couldn’t get enough hugs from, the person whose smile brightened your day, who could be with you one second, but gone the next. When you think about that, doesn’t it make your stomach knot? Doesn’t it make you realize how pointless the argument you just had with your mom seem irrelevant now? I hope it makes you realize that you need to pick up the phone, call her back, and tell her how much you love her.
We don’t get to choose our family, but we do get to choose how we treat them. Not everyone will get along with every person they come into contact with- and sadly, this is even true with family members. One of the toughest things is watching people you love argue with other people you love. You can’t help but wonder why an argument has the power to tear a family bond apart. Is fighting over something that could be fixed with a "sorry" and forgiving and forgetting really worth losing the connection you had with that other person? Why not say sorry before it’s too late? Once it is too late, you won’t have the opportunity.
Don’t wait until the opening quote stings you and echoes in your mind. Don’t be afraid to be the bigger person and apologize to someone, even if they were in the wrong- sometimes you have to let your heart outweigh your pride. My mom always told me, don’t go to bed angry, and it's great advice: don’t go to bed angry, because when you wake up tomorrow, it may be too late to fix things. Stop taking things for granted. It’s time to realize what you have, and just how lucky you are to have it.
