What does it mean to survive? Is it by having a near death experience? Is it by living through something very traumatic such as a storm or an earthquake? Even though I’m still considered young (yea nearly 30 right here) the one thing I’ve done with my life that has helped me survive is to listen. Listen to others tell stories of how they have survived. Listen to the heart wrenching details of a time in their life when they thought they weren’t going to make it. I’ve heard stories from people who were in some of the worst earthquakes to ever hit this planet. Not knowing whether their parent was alive. I’ve heard stories from those who fought cancer head on and won. I even experienced 9/11 first hand, not knowing if a cousin was alive or dead, or seeing those jump to their deaths because they knew they weren’t going to make it. A story that I remember from that day was of someone who made it out of one of the buildings. They can remember the color of peoples ties as they were jumping and hitting the ground right next to them as they ran for their lives. It’s stories like that they make me realize life is short, that there is no guarantee of a tomorrow. If you want to survive, sometimes you gotta look death square in the face and say “FUCK YOU, It ain’t my time”. When you listen to others, and hear their stories of survival that your not alone. Whatever it is your going through, you can….no you will survive. When you listen, you learn.
