this i beleive - radio essay

Jessica deSousa
English 11
January 30, 2009


Life is Too Short


Live the life you love and love the life you live. My father told me this one day when I was younger and when I first heard this, I was very amazed at how eleven little words could tell me how to live my life. You only live once and the life you are blessed with is far too short to be taken for granted. Each and every day should be lived to the fullest without any regrets. When we are first born we have to rely on our parents to guide us in the best direction for life. Once we reach a certain age the choice is ours. Why let time fly by while you spend it thinking about what you should have done? Instead, make a change and live without regrets. Don’t make a move unless your hearts in it and don’t ever look back on the past with any doubt.
Throughout my nineteen years of life, I have slowly begun to realize that I am blessed and I have a greater appreciation for my life. Whoever said life was easy lied. Nothing in life comes easy and I strongly believe you have to work hard to get what you want. I have recently lost a very close cousin to a drug overdoes because he wasn’t fortunate enough to realize only he was in control of his life. My cousin was for the most part a very happy and outgoing person. He was always having fun and making the most out of his life. When he successfully attempted suicide, my entire family was in shock. How could such a happy person be so upset with their life to take it away? This question still lingers in my mind and I still wonder what reason caused him to react in this way? I wish I could have had one more talk with him because I would tell him, “Love the life you live and live the life you love”!

When my siblings and I were younger, my parents were always so over protective with us especially when it came to riding to crossing the street. I never fully understood why they were so worried about this more than anything else. Once I was old enough to understand, my parents told me that my father almost lost his life when he was 21. My dad was involved in a very bad motorcycle accident and was in a comma for about 6 months. My family became very discouraged but never lost hope in my father. After six extensive and bitter months, my father began to react to the doctors and began to regain life. After rehab and my father’s life was starting to get back on track, he began to realize how quickly his life would have been gone. If mad father wouldn’t have made it through this tragic accident, my siblings and I would not have had a chance at our lives.
After hearing this story and loosing a very close family member, I decided I was going to be the best I could in life and I was going to live each and every day to the fullest. Throughout all the struggles and heard times, I refer back to the phrase, life is too short and it reminds me to stay positive and include my heart in every decision I make. When I see people down or depressed I try everything to reassure them that their life is what they make of it and only they have the power to make it happy and successful. I wish everyone could see the meaning of life and live it to the fullest and not take one single moment for granted.