Insipration to Us All

A few days ago I wrote a post about the importance of taking time doing things that you love to do. I recently decide to sign up for the Inaugural Tinker Bell Half Marathon at Disneyland in January to motivate getting back into one of my greatest loves, running (no, I am not crazy.) The post was prompted by a number of different things that have come to the surface in my life, including this quote that I read from Steve Jobs:
“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: ‘If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.’ It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

The quote inspired me to do just that, to be sure that everyday, I make the most out of what I have and with the chance of being cliché, to stop and smell the roses. There have been three separate events in the last 24 hours that have reminded me just how important this is. Two of these events are hitting very close to home as a mother, a sister, and a friend. One of my closest friends has just learned that her younger brother has cancer at the age of 29. Knowing her and the special relationship she has with her brother, I can only imagine the grief that they are feeling at this time. I have gone through the last few days heavy hearted, with her family in mind, as I waited the news. Shortly after hearing the diagnosis, I saw a story on MSNBC that caught my attention, again provoking tears, about a mother who was diagnosed with cancer shortly after she found out that she was pregnant with her first child. Given the choice to save herself with chemotherapy or ensure the health of her unborn baby, she chose to risk her own life. The mother was able to hold her newborn daughter shortly after giving birth, but died three days later.

I want to share this story from MSNBC because, as a parent, the choice this woman made is very relatable. We would give anything, including our lives for our children, our family. Keep in mind the quote from Steve Jobs, another person who died before his time and be inspired to live everyday to its fullest. Don’t focus on the negative or the little things that could be better but instead go out and spend the time doing what you once wished you could do, doing what you were thinking about doing “when you retire”, and doing things you enjoy with the ones that you love.

Cancer-stricken mom chooses baby’s life over hers