There are moments in your life when everything gets put into perspective. It is when one learns not to sweat the small stuff. For some it is when a relationship ends, for others it can be when a loved one passes. For me, it was when a loved one became ill. There is nothing more eye-opening then watching the person you love suffer. When I was a little girl, I almost lost my father to a heart attack. I was in the first grade, and did not fully comprehend the situation. All I knew was that my father was not home, and my mother was crying. I vividly remember visiting my father in the hospital, and could not understand why he could not home with us. He’s my father. My father does not get sick. But, as I previously said at such a young age I was too young to understand. It took a great deal of time before I realized I could have lost him. That was a realization, which I cannot still to this day fully stomach. It just breaks my heart. I did not understand how precious life can be. It shows you how silly you can be when you are getting angry over the silliest things.
It was then when I was 23 years old, that the love of my life, my boyfriend became ill. I have never been so petrified in my life. It was an illness that took a great deal of time to diagnose. And even after, it took a great deal of time to figure out how to help him. He became ill with a variety of symptoms, and unfortunately he was ill for about a month or so before we knew what he had. It was discovered that he had a bacterial infection in the blood. I have never heard of such an illness before. He spent two weeks in the hospital. During this time, the doctors discovered a bacterial growth on his heart. The hits just kept on coming. I spent almost every day at the hospital with him, each day praying that this would be the day he could go home. When that did not happen day after day, I would just drive home and cry. I knew I could not show my emotions in front of him, because he needed me to be there for him. But, no matter how hard I tried the tears came. This was the man I loved more than anything, and he was stuck in the hospital, sick. It was one of the scariest experiences of my life. It was during this time, when I just think back to all the times I picked a fight over something stupid, or said something I did not mean. I just felt like a completely horrible person. How could I act this way? Why did I make such a big issue over something so trivial? Why could I not have realized sooner, how completely insignificant it all was. It all hit me like a ton of bricks.
After two weeks, he was released. After that moment, I realized how foolish I was in the past. I realized how all these little insignificant details I would stress over or we would fight about did not matter. Unfortunately, he had to go through this awful situation for me to fully realize this. I wish more than anything it could have been me instead of him. But, in the end this whole situation taught me so much. I hope in reading this everyone learns how in an instant life can change. In one instant something can happen that can alter your life or someone else’s life forever. I urge everyone to stop for a second and realize. Realize that those moments when you are angry because your partner forgot to call you, or because your partner did not buy you the gift you wanted, remember that those details are insignificant. Those moments are fleeting. Do not spend your time being angry over something so incredibly pointless. Remember to appreciate everything you have. Appreciate the family that loves, the friends in your life, the person who loves you no matter how crazy you make him. Do not sweat the small stuff. Realize what is important in your life.
