How Great Would Life Be if We Lived a Little Everyday? by Kendall

How Great Would Life Be if We Lived a Little Everyday? by Kendall - November 2018 Scholarship Essay

“Here we go, Senior Class of 2016!”
My friends and I are gathered after school, eager to survey the newly released school yearbooks.
“Alexander Alan. It always seems impossible until it's done.”
We all clump around one single yearbook, commenting on our classmate’s senior photos and reciting a selection of quotes.
“Kaitlyn Aubrey. Class of 2016. Why didn’t you write a quote, Katie?”
“I don’t know, I couldn’t think of one.”
“Next!” My friend shouts, almost disapprovingly of our friend Kaitlyn’s lack of expression.
“Kendall Ayash” the group and I have directed our attention toward my own picture, accompanied by my senior quote.
“How great would life be if we lived a little every day?”
After reading my statement aloud, Katie asked, “What made you pick that quote?”
And I think to myself for a moment.
This is a quote that has long resonated in my heart and in my mind. I was first exposed to the expression at my grandparent’s house, where an aged, wooden canvas bearing this quote hung mounted on the living room wall. “How great would life be if we lived a little every day” the canvas lacked any imagery aside from an airplane between the last words.
I used to walk past the canvas, giving it little thought as my family and I carried on throughout the day. However, as my grandfather became sick with lung cancer, my introspection had changed. I watched my role model wither before my eyes; The rock of our family, the man who was always first into the salt water on his Hawaiian long board had now been restricted to watch his family surf from the balcony, wired to an oxygen tank. Within five heartrending years following his diagnosis, my best friend was at rest and struggled to breathe no longer.
Now, as I stare up at the fixed canvas, I cannot help but to think: how great would life be if we lived a little every day? Too often we find ourselves repeating our mundane, ordinary routines. We tend to casually go about the day as if time is not fleeting with every second in every hour, and as if we will always wake up with the capability to alter change in our present day. We seldom consider the fact that our lives are far more fickle than we normally acknowledge. If, however, we lived day to day acknowledging that at any moment, our lives could be drastically changed- for better or worse- perhaps we would aspire to do more, to see more, or to learn more. If we treated everyday like it were our last chance to live freely and wholeheartedly, just image how great life would be.
I glare back at my group of friends, and I respond.
“What if we lived life to the fullest, at every opportunity that found way to our feet? How great would our day be if we invited adventure and excitement when it came around; and how great would life be if we lived every day with that perspective?”
My friends seem to nod together, approvingly of my words.
“Not everyone has the same chances we do, to make a difference in our lives and to do the things we never thought we would. Why neglect any opportunity to live a little more than we are already so able to? I know if my grandfather were capable, he’d seize the day! He’d dive head first into life’s adventures and take on anything worth a laugh or smile. That is exactly how I’d like to live my life. I’d want to live my life to the fullest, with every chance I am given.”
I look back at Kaitlyn and with confidence in my voice, I conclude.
“I chose this quote as a reminder. To live life on the grandest scale I can reach. It reminds me to always be open to new ideas, try new things, and to give chance to things I may have rejected or ignored had I not been reminded what a blessing it is to live freely. And whenever I find myself falling in repetition or craving a break from the spinning record, I ask myself: how great would life be if we lived a little every day?”