I can make that difference.

I’ve seen a lot of people in my twenty years of life. Each person is different and every one of them has walked a different path in life. I find it fascinating to hear the stories of their past and what life has thrown at them. It really makes me think of how much I take for granted and how much I look at my past as something I never liked. Thinking about it lately, I feel really lucky to have the past that I had. I learned so much from my past and every little thing, even the bad things, made me grow into the person I am today. I tend to look at my past and wish things were different, but now, I can’t help but rejoice in my past and everything I’ve been through. I have spent so much time wishing things were different and acting like I lived this messed up life, when in reality I lived so much better than millions of people and was luckier than most people I knew. Shoot, I had a roof over my head, food in my stomach, and friends and family who loved me, even when I didn’t see it. I was so blind to what I had in front of me because my thoughts were so consumed by everything I wanted to have instead of finding joy in the things that were sitting in front of me the whole time. All the material things that would have made my life so much “better” just brought me down. I’ve been living the present to the fullest because I kept thinking the present will soon be my past, and I don’t want to hate my past, but I have been learning to slow down and really enjoy what I have now – in front of me. I see so many people who are struggling to get by each day and it just breaks me down inside because there is so much I wish I could do for them… I see them and my heart breaks, but I seem to forget so soon or push them to the side. I tell myself that I am one person and one person can’t make a difference, but in reality one person can make a huge difference.