TAKING A STEP BACK BY HARRISON LIPPY

It is incredibly easy to get caught up in the world of college. The sheer number of activities, organizations, and classes that we as students take part in is mind blowing, and leads many of us into immersing ourselves in the college experience. Over this last fall break I found out unfortunate news that turned my world on its head for a moment, and threw me out of the trance I was in at school. When I got home on Friday I found out that my mom had a tumor in her breast, and that it might be cancerous. We have an unfortunate history of severe breast cancer in my family, but we did our best to not panic. Waiting for the biopsy to come back was nerve racking. I came back to school late, and was waiting on news this last week of school. The week I have had here was a different experience than any other week of my college career. The support of my close friends and professors is what kept me together, and it made me realize how grateful I am. When I finally got the call, it is hard to express in words the feelings of relief and joy when I found out that it wasn’t a cancerous tumor. This whole situation is something I never thought I would have to go through, and I was forced to take a step back and be introspective with how I was feeling and doing. If there is a positive thing that came out of this it would be that I was reminded how useful it is to take a step back from our buys lives to actually appreciate them. I have had a much deeper respect and appreciation for my time here at Miami, and I can honestly say that I am loving every moment here more after my crappy fall break and week. I highly recommend taking a step back from your life and appreciating the people closest to you and where you are in the adventure of life. I was forced to reflect and appreciate at first, but now it is something that I try to think about daily and I am happier because of it. So why not give is a shot? Being a happier and more grateful person isn’t a bad thing.