Recently, I have become aware of all the little details around me. My friends have always told me that I always notice the smallest of things, and I have grown to realize that this is true. I find life is so much more beautiful if you appreciate the small things. Appreciate the coffee stain on the couch in the cafe -- think of the person who left it there and where life has taken them. Appreciate how the stranger you met in the grocery store had one crooked tooth and how his eyes never made direct contact at the same time. Notice the shape of the freckles on your left thigh, the sculpted hands of a person who writes poetry, the unbalanced art on the wall.

Life is unexpected and crazy and completely unpredictable. I think we often forget how at any second, our whole story can change. We have no idea what God has in store for us, and though that is scary, it does not have to be sad. One second you are living exactly how you had imagined, and then with the blink of an eye, you don't know who you are anymore. When life throws you an unexpected twist, be ready with all the small details stored in your head to fully appreciate where you were and where you will be going. A picture captures a thousand words, but the human brain can capture millions of details.

Through suffering, one finds happiness. Someone once asked me, "How would we know a good day if we never had the bad?" and I think this is something we all should notice. Some days will be harder than others. Some days the earth grows inside of your chest and you feel trapped inside of your own rib cage. In these days, think of the way you laughed that night you spent with friends under the big vast sky, and how every star lay above your heads. Think of the way they brushed the hair off of your shoulder and how you put it right back. Think of the red sweater, the Aztec blanket, the silence, the fast beat of your heart, the adventure in a tiny blue car, and how everything felt fair. Details are stored so deep within us that we can pull them out at any time and not run dry. When life gets hard and you find yourself yearning for something you once had, look into the times that made you the happiest, and know that more of these will come.

Life seems overwhelming and unjust on some days. The good news is some days are different than the everyday. Three years down the road you will look back on the day you felt your world flip around, and you will smile at where it has brought you. I promise you will smile like that again.