Just being alive isn't living

This post is going to be a mixed bag of different stuff.

First off, I've been following the story of a tracker and her family dealing with the terminal illness of her daughter Jonnae. On June 9th, Jonnae succumbed to her illness after a battle that lasted several years. This one hit close to home for me, because I have a family member that was diagnosed with the same illness nearly ten years ago. Fortunately, treatment for him was successful, and we have a very different story to tell. That being said, it is with us every day, and you never again feel comfortable about it.

I also came across this post yesterday. I wholeheartedly agree with her sentiments.

We spend far too much of our lives just existing instead of thriving. We have received the gift of life, and we should cherish that gift. For all of the Jonnaes out there...and for ourselves... it is our obligation to live in a way that makes our short time on this earth worthwhile. We should push ourselves and care for ourselves. We should challenge ourselves daily. We should focus on the good in our lives and let go of the bad. We will all have ups and downs. It is how we deal with these things...the downs in particular...that defines who we are and how we will be remembered. I feel a little silly reading the story of Jonnae and her family and how they dealt with her illness, and then thinking about some of the silly things I let affect me in a negative way, and how I let that affect others around me. I don't want to live like that any more.