Live Your Life To The Fullest by Gannon

Live Your Life To The Fullest by Gannon - December 2022 Scholarship Essay

Did you know a simple text like ¨lol¨, laugh out loud, or ¨lyl¨, love you lots, can be dangerous? So extremely dangerous that it can actually cause death to some. In fact, it is six times more dangerous than driving while under the influence of alcohol. But how can a simple abbreviated text be this dangerous? The answer is simple: distracted driving. Thousands of people each year fall victim to distracted driving and pay the ultimate price. Thousands of sons and daughters are killed because of a simple text or to find a new song to play while driving.
“Live your life to the fullest because you never know when it is going to end” was one quote that has always been so cliche to me. Many people attempt to live their life by this quote, but most inevitably succumb to the invisible forces of a routine. A routine where you wake up, go to work, count every second until you can finally leave, go home to sleep and hit repeat in the morning; all while never taking a moment to truly enjoy life or the beautiful things in it. Personally, I did not truly understand the meaning and importance of this quote until a tragic car accident took the life of one of my relatives at the beginning of 2022. My aunt's nephew, at the age of 16 years old, had been driving distracted, veered over the center-line, and was hit by oncoming traffic. He had ultimately paid the greatest price for driving distracted. A month prior to this accident, we were at a family gathering and he was talking and laughing and having a great time. Now we will never see him again all because of a pointless text that was trying to be sent to a friend.
This event put in perspective how important it is to enjoy every second of my life because you never know what is going to happen. It demonstrated that one second you could be laughing and having a good time with your family and the next it could be all over. From this incident on I decided I will never take another second for granted and will appreciate every second with my family, friends, and in the simple things in life. The lesson learned from this event will greatly impact my goals and aspirations in 2023. This event will remind me in the upcoming year to just take a second and truly enjoy the little moments. No matter how stressed or how much work I have to do, this event will remind me to step back and take in all the sights and sounds that are around me because you never know when it will be your last time hearing or seeing them.