"I don't want to survive, I want to live."

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and that quote pretty much sums up what I've come to conclude. Take a second and think about it. I think most people lose sight of so much as we grow up. What's really important in life? There's so much we take for granted and let pass us by. I've definitely been one of those people. Always counting down to what's coming and not really living in the moment. I can think of three, maybe four moments in my life that transcend the rest. Where nothing else really mattered and, in hindsight, I can say that I was happy. Like really and truly happy (but don't get me started on whether or not I think a person can really achieve true happiness). The most recent of these moments took place this past semester, and I let it pass me by at the time because I was so caught up in other insignificant things. It also kills me how so many people give up what they're passionate about for what they "have" to do. Don't be in a rush to get where you want to go. There's nothing that anyone "has" to do, and don't let society tell you any differently. Don't forget to appreciate the little things. I think it really became apparent as I watched my little sister go through elementary school and now off to middle school. I constantly find myself wondering at what point she's going to lose her childhood innocence. When will things she thinks she's supposed to do, to fit in, begin to override things that she wants to do because they make her happy. I mean, to be honest, it's probably already happened. You should hear how grown up she sounds as an 11 year old... it's scary. And it's hard going to school so far away from her while she's growing up. After all I went through growing up in Novato, my only wish for her is to be safe and happy. I just hope every time we talk or I see her I'm able to impart on her some little bit of knowledge that'll help her live her life happily, whatever that even means these days. But, alas, if there's one thing I've learned this summer, other than to live life passionately, it's that experience is the best teacher, and nothing else really comes close.

Oh, by the way, that quote I started with isn't from a famous philosopher, historian, or artist. It's not from a movie star or a musician. No, it's from Disney and Pixar's Wall-e, which, if you haven't watched it lately (I mean really watched it) I recommend you pop it into your DVD player or computer. It's surprising how much you can learn from a Disney movie when you watch it again from a different point of view.



I took this picture last night. It's the sunset down the road from where I live... never forget to enjoy the little things.