Endless Oceans, limited time.

If somehow you could go back in time and give your younger self one piece of advice,  what would it be?
I think if i could only pass on one, i would chose this:  Life is short,  don't wait for it to pass you by.

Yesterday was the 2nd anniversary of the death of a friend of mine.  Same age as me (less than 3 weeks apart), and it was my first experience of losing someone so close in age.   Two weeks ago a friend of mine experienced the same loss.  Her cousin of the same young age (34 years old) passed away to cancer after battling with it for less than a year.  Last year, a friend that i got to know online on a wedding planning board experienced the loss of her husband (also in his early thirties) after a shocking diagnosis of cancer in which he only lived 4 months after- leaving behind his 1 month old son.  There are so many stories of friends and family members whose lives were taken at a young age.

When someone dies young, you always hear "taken too soon" when the person is being spoken of.   Taken in the prime of their lives, with so much more to experience is how many feel. I would like to tell those people that time does not guarantee life experiences.  There are so many people that live a long life, yet have nothing to show for it.  I would not wish an early death on anyone, but i feel that we all need to live a life in which time does not wait for us.

I can take comfort in knowing that my friend lived a life full of experiences- she died at 32 years young, but lived a life like someone who had much more time on their side.  Age is not what matters, it is the number of meaningful experiences you acquire before you die.

I will always remember how much she loved to take pictures.  Capturing memories of all the important events. On a trip to Cancun, we joked to her about how she had way too many pictures of any variation of her with the ocean in the background.  But why not?  Why not take the time to enjoy the ocean?  to enjoy anything you love!  You never know when time will run out, and you wished you had taken that extra time to be present for the things you love.

So, enjoy the moments.  Challenge yourself with new experiences every once in a while.  It does not have to be something planned out 'bucket list' style.  Enjoy the everyday moments and experiences you create or are created for you. Take a shit load of pictures of your ocean, whatever that joy is.  Promise me to not only capture them on camera, but like my friend capture them in your heart and the hearts of others.

Rest in Peace Danielle.  I hope you  know how much you are missed and loved by so many.