Complaining is one of my hobbies. I complain about everything that I think is wrong in my life. I don't know where this habit came from or when it started, but I've been doing it since I can remember. Everyone complains once in a while; we start when we're kids, complaining about our parents not buying us a toy we want. We complain as teenagers about not having freedom to have fun and enjoy our time as teenagers. But now that I'm 20 years old, I realize that complaining has only brought me sadness, anger and frustration and has limited me from enjoying every moment -- because each one could be my last.
The headlining story a couple of nights ago was Youtuber and singer Christina Grimmie's murder at her concert in Orlando. She was 22. Think about that: 22 years old. She barely lived a life. Then, Saturday night brought the shooting at the gay nightclub, Pulse, in Orlando.
Moments like these can make anyone reevaluate their lives. I have not been able to get Christina Grimmie and all those who were murdered at Pulse out of my head. It's all so surreal -- to think that one day, you could be here, and the next you can be gone, just like those people at the nightclub or Christina performing at her concert. Events like these stir up not just conversations about gun control and homophobia, but also conversations about what we do in our daily lives.
There is an evident lack of appreciation for our days on earth. Everyone is always reminding everyone else to live their lives to the fullest, their days like they're their last, to love their loved ones like they could be gone the next day. The constant reinforcement and reminder to do so feels so necessary in times of hardship.
Complaining is so tiresome, and when we're reminded that people lose their lives every second, every day, there's a push to stop complaining. Appreciate what you have while you have it. It's so hard to know that you should appreciate people and their love while you still have it, but you have to. Christina Grimmie was only 22; she was doing what she loved, and she was killed. The people at Pulse were murdered out of hate at a place they went to enjoy themselves.
Stop complaining about what you lack, and appreciate what you have.
RIP, Christina Grimmie and all those lost in the Orlando shooting.
