Have you ever had a moment where you look at your surroundings and the people around you, and just thought about how genuinely happy you are in that moment? Where you are now may not be exactly how you pictured things to be, or even close to what you imagined, but you just get a sense of feeling telling you that something worked out exactly how it should have. In my life, there are so many moments where I can look around and feel so content and at peace that I can't imagine my life any other way.

Have Your Voice Heard: Become an Odyssey Creator

For example, a couple of years ago, I had gone on a school overnight camping trip, on a beautiful island, and I had certain ideas of how my perfect weekend would go. At the time, I had been crushing on a guy, and was hoping to get to spend some time with him while there. As how things tend to just happen sometimes, I found myself not spending any time at all with him, but instead, found myself sitting at the end of a dock, with my toes just reaching the water, sitting with girls I to this day call my best friends. While I sat with them, watching the sunset over the water and laughing to the point we all cried, a feeling came over me where I finally understood that even though it wasn't what I had thought I wanted, it was exactly what I needed. These moments, I think, are the ones that make me really contemplate the purpose of life and how things all work out. As humans, it's only natural for us to be curious about why life works out the way it does. As a child, I was raised to believe in God and I do genuinely believe in a higher power, however, I'm not writing to preach to you, or even to tell you how you should think or what you should believe in; rather, I want to share why I believe that there genuinely is a purpose in life, unique to each and every one of us.

This past weekend, I found myself at my uncle's new home, where, if you had asked me a year ago, I never would have pictured myself, only for the reason that I never could've guessed what the next year would bring. I was surrounded by our typical family, and in addition to our crazy bunch, there was also my uncle's girlfriend and her two children. While we all stood by the Christmas tree and tried to squeeze thirteen people and three dogs into about a million selfie stick pictures, which all turned out blurry and dorky, I thought about how lucky I was to have this moment, that I never would have imagined for myself. After having spent probably less than fifty days with my uncle's girlfriend, Denise, I never would have thought that I could feel like I had known her for my entire life, however, she came into our lives and I immediately had the sense that she was family, that things had worked out how they were supposed to, yet again. Denise and her children, Caden and Madison, are the perfect addition to our big happy family, and are the part that I couldn't have told you we were missing, but now can't imagine my life without.

Although these moments aren't anything out of the ordinary or crazy special, it puts a meaning behind the quote "Sometimes, the smallest things take up the most room in your heart" (Winnie the Pooh). In these moments, I realize how lucky and happy I am, and know that I am here for a purpose. I may have some figuring out to do, in regards to what I want to do for people as a whole, but I know that I can make a difference, because I can help people and love a lot. I think that nowadays, it's easy to get distracted by the things we have, the money we make, or the places we go, but that's not really what life is about, because really, "There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved" (George Sand).