Just Blind People

"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it - every, every minute?
-That's all human beings are: Just blind people."
 -Thornton Wilder, Our Town

How often do we take for granted the simplest things in life? I've been thinking lately that what one person considers a small and trivial part of their lives could be that one thing that other people are longing for. Clean water and a roof over our heads...some people can't even afford that luxury.

The ability to take a walk down the beach, take the dog for a morning run, or take a midnight stroll through the park...what about Sgt. William Gibson, who lost a leg in Iraq, or gymnast Jennifer Bricker, who was born without legs? That didn't stop them from doing much of anything they set their minds to.

So why are the rest of us holding back? Life is much too short to worry about stupid little things. It's too short to hold back. I spent most of my high school years locked away because I was afraid. Afraid of people. Of getting hurt, or stabbed in the back. I'd seen someone very close to me get hurt by someone he loved, and he's moved on, but hasn't really been the same since.

In, high school, I figured if I kept to myself, I'd be protecting myself from ending up just like him. That is now one of my biggest fears. But now that I think about it, I was hurting no one but myself.

I'm grateful for:

• Hot Coffee  
• Shooting Stars     
• American Horror Story  
• Snail mail and handwritten notes
• Topsail Island, North Carolina (my family's favorite vacation spot)
• Home-cooked meals
• Boy Meets World 
• Disappointment - so you know what matters most 
• Star gazing 
• Fear - so you know where you need to grow 
• Hunting for shells, sharks teeth, & sea glass on the beach
• The sound of the waves crashing on the shore 
• Abbott and Costello movies
• Ted Dekker novels
• The sound of violins
•  Old school boy bands (N*sync, Backstreet Boys, New Kids on the Block, 98 Degrees)
• Haunted houses 
• Rainbows - giving you something to look forward to after the rain 
• 8 Simple Rules  
• The sound of rain, thunderstorm, and waves on the beach 
• Snow Days   
• Watching the leaves change during autumn weather 
• Noise - so you can appreciate the silence
• Inside jokes ~ everyone needs a little laughter    
• Starbucks   
• Fireplaces  
• Sarah Dessen novels 
• Melt Bar and Grilled
• A job - even crappy one, like the one I currently have. At least it's money, right?
• Family traditions (some of mine include baking Christmas cookies and going to Topsail Island every summer).
• Lazy summer days 
• swimming, reading a book by the pool without a care in the world
• Watching the sun rise and/or set    
• Falling asleep to the sound of falling rain 
• The smell of coffee shops 
• Libraries & bookstores   
• Swenson's Drive-In Restaurant