Giving Thanks

“People need three things in life: Something to love, something to do, something to look forward to.”

A random quote I saw on a friend’s facebook status this morning. She said it was something she heard on the radio in high school and wrote down in a notebook. I was not only struck by the message in the quote, but also the fact that a decade or so later, she still remembers the exact moment when she picked up a pen and jotted down that simple yet profound sentence.

I guess that’s why I keep writing, and keep shooting. So ten (or fifty) years from now, when I read back on the time I’ve left behind and look back on all the youth that has left me, I will still remember this bright and sunny Thanksgiving morning, as I sat in front of my computer listening to Snow Patrol, I saw this random quote, and thought about all the things I love, all the things I’ve done, and all the things I’m still looking forward to.

I tend to write very little about what I do, and mostly about what I feel. Partly because I write poorly and would only make something wonderful sound mundane. Like, I played basketball this weekend on a playground that we drove in circles to find. It was windy and cold and the sun was disappearing, but we played until we couldn’t see the ball coming at us. Or, I dragged some friends to go rock climb with me on Monday, and besides one of my friends accidentally dropping another friend from halfway up the wall, it was super fun. And, I went to a Thanksgiving potluck at a friend’s house last night and we played all these silly games and laughed and enjoyed each other’s company until 3AM. These were all precious memories to me, I just wish I could express them as such.

And there are so many memories like these, that will sadly be forgotten. I guess it’s ok, since I will undoubtedly make new ones to replace them. Right? Sometimes I question that theory though, that what lies ahead is always going to be better than what we left behind. Life is a journey, but you can’t stop anywhere. You make choices and take what you can while moving forward, and sometimes you leave behind things hoping that you’ll run into something better somewhere ahead.

Sometimes you never find that something better.

So I take pictures like crazy, and write down how I feel when I can. Because one day, I may not be able to feel like this again. One day, I may not remember being young and wrinkle-free. One day, I wouldn’t be able to climb up that wall or make a free throw. One day, the places I took pictures of may not be there anymore. One day, the people that loved me will be in love with someone else.

That’s why we give thanks. We always hope for a better tomorrow, but someday, yesterday may be better than tomorrow. So today, I give thanks all the things I once had, all the things I’m lucky enough to still hold, and all the things that I will lose someday.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx3m4e45bTo