As 2015 came to an end and we entered 2016, I could not help but reflect on the past year. There was so much loss. Fellow Georgia Southern Eagles, to people I didn't know at all, just snatched away to Heaven way too soon. This loss was not alone. I found new love, friends, and opportunities. I was presented with new challenges and aspirations. One of the most challenging things I happened upon was being able to love openly. I don't mean openly love a guy. I mean to openly love the world.
In this generation, it is so common to hide our feelings and be very bitter towards the world. Over the past months, as I've watched time slip away, I've come to the conclusion this life is not about the things you obtain, but rather the impact you make upon people. My memories I share with my friends are worth more than the income I will make when I graduate college. The smile I share with a complete stranger is priceless.
I've decided that my New Years resolution is to love endlessly and openly. I will not just smile at the people I know or the person that smiles at me first. I am going to smile at everybody because I never know whose day I could make better. I am not going to give a dirty look to the person who cut me off while driving, because clearly they are needed somewhere very important. I am going to speak kindly to my friends because I never know when I will see them again. I am going to call my family and even when they're driving me crazy, I am going to show patience and grace because they've shown me this all my life. I am going to love the unique traits of every person I meet because God made us all in his image so clearly everybody is flawless. I will show love to the people whom I don't understand because their struggles are different than mine. I will not be quick to pass judgement just because I am scared of the way somebody challenges me. I will honestly and wholeheartedly love every person I come into contact with.
My hope is that I am not alone in taking upon this new outlook on love. I challenge each and every one of you to stop and think about the way you have loved in the past years. Have you genuinely put your everything on the line when you entered a friendship or relationship with somebody? Have you been kind and shown complete compassion to strangers you encountered? Did you even show love to the people in your 8 a.m. class you struggled to wake up for? I know that it seems scary to wear your heart on your sleeve and to be vulnerable, but I believe that if we strive to live our lives with open love we will find nothing less than an endless pool of happiness.
