Last week, I was driving home from work and noticed the commute was worse than a typical Thursday afternoon. Usually, once I hit the route that leads me home it clears up and I fly home. However, on Thursday something was going on that slowed us down. On the other side of the road, there was a pretty bad car roll-over and as I drove by with the rest of the rubber-neckers I couldn't help but feel instantly sad.... "Someone definitely died in that crash" I thought. My thoughts were confirmed on the news the next day, a twelve year old was the only one out of 3 people in that car to have died. The reason? She wasn't wearing her seatbelt.
Life is precious. And though there is no going back to that girl's life... there's an important lesson to be learned here: You don't have to have a life-threatening illness to have a short life. AND There are simple things you can do to protect your precious life. Clearly, wearing a seatbelt is one of those things.
In the movie Jack and Jill vs. The World, featuring a character with cf, she gets overly concerned when her boyfriend crosses the street without looking and nearly gets hit by a car. She chastises him "What are you doing!? Thats your LIFE!" I think as people who live with something every day that may very well threaten their life, people with chronic/life-threatening illnesses see life a little differently. I can't say enough that Life is Precious. I cannot comprehend why someone would not bother to put on their seatbelt when it can clearly save their life! This is something that is not inconvenient and changes nothing about the way your life is lived (other than potentially saving it!)!
Another thing that really gets to me is how careless people are with their bodies. So many people have taken "Yolo" (You Only Live Once) too far... living life to the fullest doesn't mean being reckless with your life. Drinking in excess and destroying your body and your brain cells just so you can say "Last night was crazy!" isn't living life to the fullest. I have had tons and tons of "wild nights" when I wasn't drunk. I'm not saying alcohol is the worst thing in the world... because that would make me a hypocrite. I'm just saying that using it in a manner that affects your body and your life is not a "YOLO" life. Yes, you only live once. So don't be stupid! Why do you think grown adults don't drink as much as college students do? Because they've gained the wisdom that life is not about how drunk you are... life is so much more.
YOLO for me means trying something new, laughing too much, trying not to complain, seeing the beauty in each day, and enjoying every moment with the people I love. Last week, I went hiking in New Hampshire up Mt. Cochura with Kyle. It was such a tough hike, I was sweating, I was out of breath... I wanted nothing but to just get to the top. And when I got there, man was it worth it. Being so high up in the mountains made me feel better than any drunken night. You Only Live Once.... so climb to the tops of mountains and see the world from a new perspective. You Only Live Once... so do something you don't do every day, or every week, or every weekend.
Living life to the fullest means doing what I can to make sure I have a full and long life. Obviously, part of that means taking care of myself. Whether you have cf or not....What little things can you do to make sure you have a long, full, healthy life so that you will be around for your family and friends? Whether it means eating healthier, losing weight, starting to exercise, quitting smoking, limiting your alcohol use, not drinking and driving, or wearing your seatbelt no matter how close your destination may be... there are positive changes you can make to preserve your precious life. But although it is important to protect your life and your body, I recognize that going too far may actually hinder the way your life is lived. I have heard of so so many cf parents who go over the top in protecting their children. Forcing your kids to wipe down every table in a restaurant, to avoid other children who might have bugs, to avoid swimming pools and other fun places.... that's no life at all. Don't get me wrong, I understand that parents want to keep their children healthy, but are there ways to do that without getting in the way of their quality of life? There is a line between Living Life and Missing out on Life. It is important to find where that line is.
What are you avoiding that is making you miss out on life? It would have been so easy for me to not go on that hike last week... to say "Its too tough for my lungs to be at that altitude," "I don't have the endurance to climb up-hill for 2 hours," "It's too hot and humid today," "It's not safe".... But by avoiding the challenge I would have missed the adventure of climbing a mountain, of seeing for miles above the earth, of hearing how deafening true silence can be.
Last night, I got home from work after driving through the 96 degree heat and humidity. Newscasters were announcing air quality alerts.... but I really had to go for a run. By the time I got home, it had cooled off to 86 and humid. When I announced I was going running my mom said "But they are sending out air quality alerts!" So of course, being the headstrong runner that I am... I went running. Since the sun was setting, it had cooled off enough that I could breathe fine and I surely wasn't going to pass out or die. I was living my life with no limits, but only because I knew I could handle it... vowing to myself that if I really felt like I couldn't handle it, I would turn around and come home. The other day, I went to Nantucket and the waves were at least 10 feet tall. They were scary! However, I went in and felt them lifting me up and pulling me down. It was exhilarating to be in the ocean. Yet, if I let their sheer size keep me from going in... I wouldn't have had so much fun! I have found the balance between protecting my life, and living my life.
So next time you don't want to try something new or the next time something seems too dangerous... ask yourself, will it hinder my life if I do this? Or will it enhance my life? I'm not saying to speed down the highway for the sheer purpose of feeling the danger. I'm saying to listen to the warnings in your head and decipher whether those warnings are danger warnings, or just excuses. I'm saying to really examine the way you live your life... does it promote health? Is it fun because your "living on the edge"? Or is taking risks with your body preventing you from seeing the true beauty that life has to offer? It's time Drake and his YOLO followers find the balance between living life once, and preserving life so that one life isn't cut short. So wear your seatbelt.... but don't be afraid to jump in the 10 foot waves too..
