Ten Years Later

For seven months, last year, I wasn't able to work. Being an independent person, and the fact that my partner and I had barely been dating for three months, it was hard for me to let him take the responsibility to pay the house bills; he was more than happy to help me through that rough time, and I cannot thank him enough for standing by my side. Today, we have been together for a year and four months, and I couldn't have been any happier; unless we could marry without having to go to another state. My point is, my past is the foundation of my present, and I am a better man for him, for my family, and for myself nonetheless.

I wouldn't change a thing I lived because, good or bad, it made me who I am now. If I hadn't gone through that, I probably wouldn't have learned the lesson I got out of it. A decade in the USA doesn't sound too long, but when you measure it in memories and good friendships, I sure know that it has been an eternity. Yourself can tell how different you were in 2002 from today. The laughs, the tears, the fun, the fears, etc.

People are right when they say that we never know what we have until it's gone. When I left Mexico, I thought I didn't have any reasons to stay anymore; my family was moving here, I was going through the usual teenage drama phase and I isolated myself to the point that I truly believed to be on my own. No fifteen year old wants to be alone, no matter how much we hate the world; it's human nature to be linked to someone, and after a year or so, it hit me how big of a decision I had made. Today, I try to reach out and stay in touch with those I left behind. It's been a minute, maybe a few years in reality, but we still reminisce on the times we spent together. We laugh and we exchange stories. We catch up on recent events in our lives. Yes, ten years is a pretty lengthy distance in between.

So hold dearly those that you love. Make sure that they know how much you appreciate them. From your siblings, to your parents, to your friends, to your significant other. Be there for one another. We have NO DAY BUT TODAY.