If you didn't get it the first time

It’s a double edged-sword trait with expectations… sometimes we intend to do something or have something go a certain way, and it does… but something else overshadows it. This weekend was the last of my circle of friend’s birthdays. We’re all finally 21, congrats to everyone…we made it this far. But, it was marred by a tragedy. [If you want to know what happened, just ask… but I must warn you, the Devil is in the details.] In the end… we celebrated life, as best we could.

There’s something about “should’ve, could’ve, and would’ve,” this loss opportunity, it always seems to bring a dark shade. The prospect of achieving something great is a wonderful feeling; when it’s not fulfilled, its poison. And yes, there can be this mentality of “oh, I’ll do it better next time”—to that I say—what if there isn’t a next time? What then? Many times opportunities are only here for an instant, and often they are only one chance [first impressions are an example of this]. There’s no cure for this poison after it has already spread through the veins; it’s a possibility that over time the poison is lessened, but it will never entirely leave. What “should’ve, could’ve, and would’ve” been, will never be—nothing can change the past, it is already written. The future is a tale yet to be told. This opportunity is something that we should never let go. How many times must we be told something before we finally listen?

I’m learning… I’m trying to teach what is being taught to me [and what I've already learned]. And although I don’t know it all, I know it is being taught because it is a valuable lesson and learned some way or another. I won’t force these ideas; I say that in life, I choose to listen…and then teach what I've learned.

Snatch every opportunity, live life to fullest [not stupid, remember it makes no sense to live fast, just to die slow.] Chess moves, not checkers.

To the two sons that won’t be coming home to their mothers: peace.
To the family that sits by the hospital bedside: family is what it is all about.
To the rest of us that remain: learn something from these individuals, never let an opportunity slip away.

Guarantees... Mortal::Death