Meet Summer Springstead
When I first heard the term “YOLO” (You Only Live Once), I thought it was the latest teen abbreviation to join others like LOL, WTF and OMG. I believe it was my dearest college friend, Tina, that first said it to me. I can’t remember the decision I was wrestling with at the time when I was talking on the phone with her, but she simply and frankly said to me, “Come on, Sum. YOLO!” For some reason, hearing that simple term at that moment in my life stuck with me and is now something I always think about.
If you were to ask Tina, or any close friends or family member to describe me in a nutshell, they would likely include something like, nervous Nelly, plays it safe, likes to be prepared, isn’t a fan of surprises or tries to avoid “burning the candle at both ends” (along with other silly descriptions like bathroom humor enthusiast). When it comes to making decisions or plans, I typically air on the side of what’s easiest, simplest and makes the most sense. However, as I’ve gotten older, YOLO is a term I now try and push myself to think about first. Being in my early thirties, I pretty much have it nailed down what’s most important to me in life. It’s very simple, my family and dear friends. My husband, parents, sister and my sister’s family are the greatest gifts I’ve ever received in life. My family’s love is the luckiest blessing I’ll ever receive. My precious girlfriends have always been there through thick and thin and I know if I needed any one of them, they would be on the next flight out to NC. With friends and family as my most prized possessions, why should I ever grapple with decisions when it comes to having the opportunity to spend time with them or showing them how much I love them? Of course, everyone’s life is busy, bank accounts aren’t always as full as we’d like and travel requires a lot more effort than staying home. However, now, when I have a decision on the table that involves someone I love, I’m try and remind myself to seize the opportunity, it might not come around again… YOLO.
The reason I try to keep YOLO in the front of my mind is because of some realizations/life lessons that have become clearer to me as time goes by.
Here are the top three:
1) Life is unpredictable—you never know what will happen next
2) Life is short—time flies-treasure every moment
3) Seize the opportunity- it might never come by again
So the next time you’re debating over going to a girls weekend because it’s too far away, your grappling with purchasing a plane ticket to surprise your parents that’s a little more than you want to spend, you really want to go to sleep to get a good nights rest before work but your husband has a tight cuddle around you on the couch, you think about saving up work vacation days instead of going to family beach week, or you skip telling someone you love them because you assume they already know…..think YOLO. Life is precious, live with no regrets and love big. You Only Live Once.
