Don't take anything for granted

Three weeks ago I was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome. It's an abnormality in the heart: sometimes it starts beating faster. Although it's a "common" heart problem (that's what the doctor told me), you can suddenly have a heart attack and die (he told me this too).

I swim for SMU, and basically I devote all my time to the sport. A month ago we had a swim meet against Texas A&M, it was a big deal. While I was swimming my race, my heart started beating much faster than normal and I started to feel dizzy. My heart returned to a normal pace after a couple of minutes, but the dizziness got worse. I didn't want to stop, so I finished my race. I was sent to the doctor. Then to the hospital to do some more tests. Then, I got the news.

This is something very shocking to hear. I mean, they prohibited all physical activities from my schedule, and my parents got very worried. They took the "sudden death" part too seriously. My next step is a "medical procedure" (they don't like calling it surgery)...next week.

What I'm trying to say with this story is that you can't take your life for granted. You don't know what the future holds for you. Everything can change within the blink of your eye. So, don't wait. Do whatever you want to do. Don't think about what others may think of you. Smile. Laugh. Try new things. Learn. Go to new places. Thank other people. Cherish what you have. Be happy.

Although my procedure isn't a major one, the doctor will still go to my heart and burn something inside to stop the abnormal palpitations. And I'm kind of glad this happened right now. First of all, I can get it fixed. Second, I now see life with different eyes. I've tried all these previous things in the past three weeks, and it feels awesome. I even joined the Ballroom Dance Club...I love it. No one knows what will happen next, so why wait for something to happen to open our eyes, change our minds, and make us realize we are mortal? Go try something new today. Live your life. I recommend it.