First off I am not too great when it comes to grammar, so either get over it or look past it.
I wanted to start out and just say I am thankful for life. There have been multiple times over the past years of my that I have dogged death. I believe that people doge death a lot more often than they realize. Just think of all the car accidents that have almost happened to you. In that alone I can think of at least 3 instances off of the top of my head where I had just barely grazed death. I can not remember nor count the number of times my life has been spared. One instance in particular comes to mind, I was hiking in the mountains about Bountiful, Utah. It was a spectacular view and I was enjoying myself in the solitude that came from being alone on top of a mountain. It was beautiful. As I was walking up I nearly stepped on a rattle snake, and I had experienced an innate fear like none that I have ever experienced. As I was basically running down the mountain away from the snake. When I felt like I was a safe distance away from the snake I slowed down to collect myself. Then I heard the all to recently familiar sound of a rattle in front of me. Right where my next step was about to take place was another rattle snake coiled and ready to strike. No doubt it was as scared as I was. So I ran past it and all the way back to the car was jumping at everything that moved. Everything from crickets to the rustling of the bushes in the wind.
Looking back on this experience I can see that life is very frail and precious. I think of all the enjoyment and wonderful experiences I have had in life, and also the dark times where I would have wished that one of those snakes had bitten me to end what I had thought was a bitter existence. Everything from battles with depression and anxiety to physical pain and sickness. Past all of that I can see that my life has been basically more good that bad. The deeper I look the more I see that the scales have been tipped in my favor. There is so much good to be had in life. The greatest of all of those things that are good in life is love. The ability to share and receive love is beyond any good that I have ever experienced. Some may believe that no one loves them, but that is a lie there is always someone who loves you. Why do I say this? Because I at least know that I love you and if you are religious believe that God loves you because you are his creation. While I may have never met you or shared my time with you much I do love you. Why? Because you are a human being unique, amazing, and beautiful in your own way, and flawed yet even more amazing because of those flaws. Might sound cheesy, cliche, or even supper gay, but it is true. At least as of right now I know of no one that I do not at least love a little bit. There is plenty to go around. I may not 100% like you and everything you do, but I do love you. This is something that I believe that is also true of my older brother whom I am just singling out because many may view him as a rough character, because he looks a little rough around the edges and is a little anti religion. I can say from the conversations that we have shared he too loves everyone, even those whom he might hate a little, he still loves them a little as well. Why because they are just fellow human beings trying to make it in the world.
I think that too often people in society begin to love themselves a little too much, and this idea is perpetuated by ideas given to us by psychologists. Things like a focus on self-esteem, self-improvement, self-accomplishment, and self-actualization are all very appealing things, and they appeal because the antithesis's of them are not good things. However, the very subtly lead us to be more selfish. The way to get around this idea is to focus your love on other people, and as you focus on helping other people and sharing your love with them, you will find that you will be self-accomplished and all of those other things. But you wont care about them as much because you are focused on the good of everyone else as opposed to loving yourself.
I am grateful to my parents for having this love for me. They both put my needs above theirs, and decided to give me life. This was the greatest blessing that any human being has ever given me. They gave me life and love. I am grateful the took the responsibility to be parents. I dogged death because they did not decide to abort me. Every year 42 million babies are aborted every year. That is 3 million more people than the state of California. If you are not married and do not think that you can handle a child, put its needs before yours and set it up for adoption. There are many families that have great desire to adopt, but have no children to adopt. If a child is raised in a family that loves them there is no greater gift.
I am so happy that I get to live and experience life even though I may suffer at times, I want to live and keep on living.
