What do you take for granted?

I recently heard that someone I met over a decade ago passed away. At the time that I knew him his words opened up the world to me in a way I had not seen before and impacted what I believe about people today. When I think about it now I still feel in shock that he is gone. Through his own life example I saw that people really can change and pull themselves out of a bad situation, better themselves and turn their lives around. His words opened up the world to an 18 year old college kid who didn't know anymore than the world at her front doorstep.

This morning I've been thinking about how short our time is here and yet we take it for granted. We take the people we care about for granted assuming either that they will always be there or due to our own lazy behavior. Challenging ourselves to be better people and act more mature and face head-on the things we struggle with or just may not be that good at requires us to live more consciously and hold ourselves more accountable rather than just riding the tide of unconscious living which many people around us do. It is easier to keep the blinders on and think about things in only one way rather than allow yourself to see the full spectrum of what the world offers and also what it puts people through. It is easier for some people to manage life when they make it black and white. I've come to realize how many people around me are not interested in truly challenging themselves. They say they are and they are going to improve this or better that, but then they fall into all the excuses of how they don't have time, how it is hard to change, and they continue on their way in the same life in which their fulfillment falls to the wayside as a priority. And because of this they remain stuck in that place. They go through the daily motions of life, but really don't find a way to address and move forward within their hearts and spirits. It seems like some people don't want to know or explore the difficult or darker parts of themselves, don't really want to work on their problems and just want to stay on the path they are on cause it is just easier.

I've also come to see over the last few months how concentrated I've been on my own shortcomings, how I beat myself up for where I've not been the best person I could be or for what I'm not so good at and I fail to recognize all the wonderful things about myself. And in doing that I have also come to realize how generous, beautiful, and strong of a person I am. I see beauty in places others would rather not look. I truly believe that people can change. I always put my heart out there and open up about my feelings with another person even if that means I risk getting hurt. I'm a good problem solver and good at supporting those around me. I've been selling myself and what I deserve short.