Don't Sweat The Small Stuff

"OMG I hate my life!" How many times have you said this,in this month, week or day? Too many to count? We have all said it, but maybe we should reconsider why we said it in the first place. Maybe your car would not start or your cell phone died in the middle of a text. However, are those things really that important to actually hate the life you’re living? I think not. There are people in this world that struggle every single day and never complain. In fact, they may even seem like the happiest people around.

I know a little girl, eleven years old, who is multiply disabled. Her name is Alli and she is my little sister. I watch her and I think about what it must be like to live in her world. She does not worry about texts or stress about how many Instagram followers she has. Alli lives her life day by day, struggle by struggle. Writing her name is a struggle, walking and talking are all difficult for her as well. Even through her hardships, she is living her life the right way. She writes her name, walks and talks with nothing but dignity. There is never a moment where that girl is not smiling. Yet, people are complaining about how awful their lives are because of some microscopic problem that will not matter in five minutes.

Alli may not know any better, but in her mind everything is okay. Through neuro surgery after neuro surgery, everything was always the best it could be. She was always okay. She laughs more than anyone else and frankly she is the happiest child I have ever met. Alli is not like anyone else; she is very unique. Many people, including myself, do not have the strength to face life head-on the way she does. Every day she is learning, growing and trying with all her heart to impress her family and make people happy. The little things do not matter to her. The big things are what makes all the difference; the frustration she must have felt when she was no longer to able walk after a surgery. Many people would give up. She fought and now is not only walking, but able to run and dance.

Most of the time when people have a hard day all they want to do is lock themselves away. Why do this? Why waste such precious time worrying about nothing when you could be making some sort of difference? At eleven years old, Alli has inspired me more than anyone ever could. With the amount of courage she has, you would think she'd explode. The first years of her life were extremely difficult, but in the end, she gracefully overcame every single obstacle. So maybe next time your friend bails on you, or your mom makes you take out the garbage, you will think about all the other people in this world like Alli. People whose lives are every day struggles. Maybe then instead of complaining, you will take a deep breath and evaluate your life and make it more meaningful than wasting even a moment of hate.