Recently I have been seeing so many people I know pass away. I feel like I'm always seeing a RIP status or a benefit for someone I know or know of. I'm not really good with death, I never was. It's very hard for me to show any emotions of sadness. My grandmother, who was my best friend, died three years ago and it took me two years to really cry. I feel as though everyone experiences loss in a different way. I constantly see people arguing about who cared about the deceased person more or, even worse, people turning on each other once someone has died. None of that is important in the long run.

The problem with all of this is this isn't how life works, and I have also learned this isn't how death works. People get sick, people die, and one day we will all die and life will continue on. When it's our time to go, we can not stop it. Whether someone dies from drugs, cancer, heart attack, or natural causes, we can not stop it. There is a path we all must take. What we can change is how we react to death.

Like I've said, death is sad. It's actually one of the worst feelings ever. You feel empty and wonder if you'll ever be able to carry on without that person. I have learned in life that every negative can be a turned into a positive if you CHOOSE to let it. When my grandmother and grandfather died, they both died young, and I was angry. I felt as though they could have lived longer lives and didn't understand why. Instead of being angry though, I realized at that moment my grandmother died to teach me a lesson. Sometimes it takes something big to shake up your world.

When people die, they leave a legacy behind. How do you want to be known? Do you live every day being the most authentic version of yourself? If you died tomorrow, would you have words you wished you could take back? Things you wish you didn't allow? I never want to look back when I'm dying and say I wished I hadn't done that. When my grandmother died, she indirectly taught me to be the most authentic person I could be. That's what I have strived to do since. I have learned in the years since that it's okay to say NO, it's okay to not drink at a party, it's okay to like your couch more than a club, and it's okay to wear jeans when everyone else is wearing shorts. It's ALSO okay to wear booty shorts and crop tops, it's okay to have four drinks at a party, and it's okay to say yes to something others don't want to do, as long as YOU are okay with your choices.

I have also learned when you die no one will remember the bad that others have done to you, but what they will remember is how you've treated others. I have learned to believe 100 percent in good karma. I will give you the last $5 in my pocket if you say you need it. If you're lying about your needs, well then you have to answer for that guilt. I'll make another $5 and I'll feel good that I helped someone who said they needed it.

All in all what I'm trying to get at is life is a gift. To wake up and breathe everyday is a gift, because it can all be taken away in an instant. We need to learn to stop worrying about the small stuff and start looking at the bigger picture, stop saying "tomorrow" and start appreciating today, love with all you have in you, and lend a helping hand to others. Your body is yours and you treat it as so. Respect yourself and demand that others do too because this life is no ones but your own. That's what death has taught me.