In the light of the late Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gigi and the seven other victims that perished in a tragic helicopter crash, I want you to take a moment to count your blessings. Think about your loved ones and realize how lucky we all are to be able to come home to these people every single day.
Kobe Bryant has touched the hearts of many, on and off the courts. He was a legendary NBA superstar who showed the world what dedication, perseverance, and genuity meant. His impact has left an imprint on an entire generation of kids who grew up shooting paper balls into trashcans and yelling, “Kobe!” You don’t have to be a fan of the game to realize how influential this man has become. No matter where you come from, what city you represent, or what language you speak, Kobe Bryant was universal.
With that being said, I want to capture Kobe’s honor by shining a light on the blessings that we all share every single day. Every day, we wake up in the morning to leave our homes and always expect to be back in time for dinner, or the new season premier of your favorite show. Something so small, yet extremely underrated. Life can be one of the most unpredictable, chaotic phenomenas and can be taken in the blink of an eye.
Some days when I wake up on the wrong side of the bed, I forget to acknowledge everything I am blessed to have. My parents, who go out of their way to provide the best life they can for me. My sisters, who are living their own lives but are still guiding me through mine. My friends, who are my rocks through anything and everything. The coffee I brew, the bagels I toast, the private education I am lucky enough to experience. . . all small things with immense impact.
Blessings don’t have to be nominal or charactertized. Being lucky in life doesn’t have to be defined by how successful you become or something like winning money at a casino. Lucky is hitting all greens when you’re late for work one day. It’s the not-a-cloud-in-sight weather on a day you’ve been looking forward to for weeks. It’s the perfectly winged eyeliner you land in one swoop. The temperature of your coffee, reruns of your favorite show on TV, a warm shower after a stressful day. . . Once we look at all the little things in life and realize there is so much to be grateful for– we really start to believe in our blessings.
Most of the time, we all get caught up in the busy lives we lead. There’s always some place to be, someone to meet, something to do. Our days are planned and our weeks are rushed. We distract ourselves with our business so much that we lose sight of the fact that the days might be long in the moment, but the years are short. I often wonder, at what point in my 19 years of life did I go from silly bands and 3D glasses to high heels and college parties? Who snapped their fingers and brought me to this point so quickly? We just keep going and going and going and we don’t realize how life is passing us by.
On that note, I want to leave you all with a message. Life doesn’t wait. Life does what it wants, when it wants, to who it wants. If we keep running through our days without stopping to take a breath, everything we’re blessed with dissolves. The blessings stay there, but we zoom through them so quickly that they often looked blurred in our field of view. Take the time today to stop. To breathe. To reflect. Remind yourself that life isn’t waiting, but you can pause it for a little bit and admire everything you may take for granted. Say, “I love you.” Tell those you haven’t seen in a long time that you miss them. Pray to those who’ve departed, but still brush your hurt away with their wings. The little things really are our biggest blessings. As Ellen DeGeneres had said, “it doesn’t have to be your birthday for you to celebrate.”
RIP to a legend and his beautiful daughter, and RIP to John Altobelli, 56, Keri Altobelli, 46,Alyssa Altobelli, 13, Christina Mauser, 38, Ara Zobayan, 50, Sarah Chester, 45, and Payton Chester, 13. You will always be remembered in the hearts and minds of many.
Mel's Vision 