Existing vs Living

“Do not lose hold of your dreams or aspirations. For if you do, you may still exist but you have ceased to live.”
-Henry David Thoreau

Sometimes this distinction is not made clear often enough- or at least the difference between the two words is easy enough to understand...but applying the concept to everyday life is a different story. At least for me sometimes. I have to catch myself, getting through each day and then realizing as I look back on the month that has just flown by that I have not really done much. Or not much of consequence. I keep putting off things that I should do, want to do, dream about doing and figure that I will get around to it later. But, I DO have time now. And I need to make the most of it- and actually LIVE my life and try my best to do the things that I want to do. Every time that I am incredibly busy- even if it is spending all of my waking moments just hanging out with friends and going somewhere and doing something fun and laughing a lot, it makes that day feel wonderfully rewarding. Knowing that I just something new, tried something new, went someplace that I had never been before, made a difference in someone's life...all of these things make life more than just existing and "getting by" each day. Though school can be time-consuming and difficult at times, I forget on occasion that there is other things that I should and want to be doing. AND more importantly, that I CAN do these things and feel much more fulfilled if I attempt them even if that means I put more on my plate than normal. I have always felt more accomplished and happy when I have been very busy- particularly with meaningful things. My goal is to keep myself busy- not just with the things that I need to do, but very much so with the things that I want to do and things that will improve myself- whether it's physically, emotionally, or intellectually. Even if it seems inconvenient at the time- because it is always worth it.