Go For It

     I tend to ponder the meaning of life quite often or at least the motivations for living the way that I do. Am I living in a purposeful manner? Am I squandering opportunities that could lead to making a difference? Am I making this life worth it? We get 80ish years on this Earth to exist, and I want mine to count.
     Due to simply being lazy, I've been putting off blogging for a lot of months, but something recently caught my eye that compelled me to put my share my thoughts. I was doing my tri-annual dentist checkup and caught a glimpse of my teeth x-ray.

Now, seeing your own skeleton can bring up many emotions, most rather morose, but for me, it was different. I remember thinking, "Wow...that will be me one day, and this life will be all over." I would like to think that I have another 60 or so years to my existence, but in all seriousness, I could die tomorrow, and that would be it. What am I doing with these precious moments I am given. In the end, all we have are moments; nothing more, nothing less.
     As many of you know, I attempted to make my first Olympic Team this past summer. I've never wanted something so bad in life, nor have I ever worked so hard for one thing. In the many months leading up to the Trials, I made sure to make every day count. I had an imaginary checklist in my head and can honestly say that I could cross off everyday in regards to working hard and getting better. That being said, I did everything in my power to make my dreams come true. I never stopped believing. However, in the end, it seems as though all of those efforts were futile. But aren't we glad that things are not always as they "seem"? Yes, I was heartbroken, and no, no words can describe seeing your dreams fall through your hands when you most wanted them to come to fruition. The fact of the matter is that the character I grew, the joy I was granted, and the peace that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord still lay on my heart regardless of the outcome of those Trials. I've always heard the quote, "It's not the destination, but the journey", and until this year, I never knew how true that quote really was. It would have been majorly awesome to have gone to London this past summer, but I didn't, and that's life. You can work your butt off for something, sacrifice everything for that one thing, and in the end, you may not get what you wanted, but that's not what's truly important. I dared greatly, I risked everything, I threw caution to the wind, and sailed on, and for me, I can rest on that. I can rest on knowing that I lived for something bigger than myself, and I went for it. To me, that's what life is about: going for it. There are so many people who played it safe and are living with regrets and will eventually die with those same regrets weighing on their heart. So I invite you, timid souls, take a chance, make a fool out of yourself, and make your life matter. 80ish years, people! That's all you get and then it will be over; no do-overs, no second chances. Go for it.