The Morning I Decided I Need To Skydive

This photo of SkyDive Pepperell is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Last night, I spent the night with one of my greatest friends I’ve met at UC San Diego who moved here to Boston this past Fall. Allison Potter and I were co-coordinators of the Alternative Breaks@UCSD program! Last night, we talked, watched movies and YouTube videos, and looked up Groupons that seemed cool. Within our search for Groupons, I stumbled upon something awesome. So, here goes some reflection that happened in my head over the past 24 hours and about the last 7 days, which have been a series of trials and tribulations.

I sometimes come off as a very busy person who overworks himself. I find happiness by making other people feel happy or by finding ways to make positive change in this world. It’s a lot of selfless giving and nothing in return.

Let’s change that.

There are few times in my life I have felt truly alive. I just reflected on this and thought about the time I finished a half-marathon, the time I played the Iroquois “fish game” with my alternative break service team in the middle of the Smoky Mountains while barefoot in frozen grass, and the time I sat upon Mayan Ruins and hiked 16 miles to caves and waterfalls in the jungles of Belize. Those were some of the times in my life I felt alive and realized my existence in this world and that the world is not just a scary place, but a beautiful place.

A lot of things have happened in the last 7 days. When life happens, I forget to live. When bad things happen to people I love most, I forget to live. When people walk in and out of my life, I forget to live.

I need to live.

I need to be alive. I need to be present with what’s here and see that there is much to live for and many things to experience. I need to remember how alive I am and be reminded of the life I need to live. I only have one shot to make it amazing and to fill it with once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

This morning, we had a retreat for our Graduate Student Government at Northeastern University. We were sitting in the room before the retreat preparing for the day, and I was just thinking about the Groupon I found. The Groupon I found was a discounted price of a Tandem Skydive Jump. I asked my friend Kledio Bacci (another VP within the Grad Student Government) randomly to do this with me, and he amazingly agreed in about 10 seconds. We kept talking about the dangers and the risk involved, but how we both wanted to do this and that this was the moment to commit to it. Within minutes, we both purchased the Groupon and we plan to do this when the season opens back up, hopefully in May! So, this was the morning I decided I needed to skydive and I finally made the commitment to do it. Life is way too short to not do the things you need and want to do.

Right now, life is testing me. It’s definitely showing me that life isn’t permanent. Before #YOLO became a thing, we used to say that you only get one life to live. I really do realize now that life is given to us, but can threatened to be taken away at a moments notice. I know this feeling personally because I have had my left threatened and thought I was going to die. It’s that moment when your life flashes before your eyes. You hear about it, but it’s another thing to actually have it happen to you. And now, I am once again tested because I am in fear that I will actually lose someone I love.

If there’s anything I have learned so far, it is that I need to find ways to enrich my life with awesome experiences before it’s too late. I think I have done a good job at that, but I also think I have stopped myself in recent days from realizing the amazing things I have done and the things that I have yet to experience.

So, I post this here as an open invite for others to join in to cross off one of my most-feared yet most-awesome bucket list items. It’s happening sometime in May after I graduate.

Get this Groupon before it goes away! $159 for a Tandem Skydive Jump (a $235 value)!

Now, cue up “What Doesn’t Kill Us (Makes Us Stronger)” by Kelly Clarkson. You better believe I’m actually going to add a Bucket List to my blog as a new tab!

Nothing Left Unsaid, Unwritten, Undone

This quarter was one of the best quarters in terms of fun, academics, and life! I have had the chance to do a lot of things in my undergraduate years at UC San Diego, and these past 3 months or so have been no exception. This posting has been inspired by a short movie on you tube by Kurt Schneider called “Nothing Left Unsaid”. You should go ahead and watch it by clicking HERE or by viewing it below.

I like lists and checking things off. It makes me feel accomplished. It does not have to include only tangible items, but it can include intangible things like “forming friendships” or “being kind” or something of that sort. Here is my list of things I believe I have accomplished over the past few months and through the 4 years at UCSD!

1. “Create Positive, Sustainable, Change”: I went on my final Alternative Break trip to Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia as an undergraduate. I had to chance to visit Break Away in Atlanta, play in real snow, and learn about a new culture within America. I have also previously traveled to Russia, Belize, Indiana, and Mississippi for alternative break trips.
2. “Go Crazy Downtown”: I had an extreme amount of fun at the Shout House in the Gaslamp District in Downtown San Diego with friends. We pre-gamed, we ate, we sang, we danced, we got wild, we got crazy, we had the best time a Thursday night one could ever ask for. It was much needed, I remember, after such a long week!
3. “Have an Epic Sun God Festival”: The best Sun God experience because of amazing friends. Although I didn’t stay with a single group the entire night, it was all full circle at the end of the night. It started with “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, singing out the middle school/high school year melodies of Michelle Branch songs, then went to the crazy Dance Tent with Designer Drugs and Z-Trip with my partner in crime, Ashley P. Then we met back up with Earth for Drake (of whom sucked), but was fun anyhow because I was with friends like Eneida. Oh, and finally after 3 previous Sun Gods, I drank the day of. I didn’t get drunk like some people, but I just had a good time.
4. “Vegetarian”: Went a week eating as a Vegetarian. It was rather difficult, but doable. I don’t think I can sustain that lifestyle, but at least I know it is possible if I really tried.
5. “Be Recognized”: Awarded Break Away’s Active Citizen of the Year, Alternative Breaks@UCSD got Student Organization of the Year by the Center for Student Involvement, Brutten Philanthropic Organization Award by UCSD Student Foundation, and the Alexis Montevirgen Award for Outstanding Leadership & Service from the Center for Student Involvement. I also previously received the Chapin Cole & Melissa Higgins Lifelong Service Award. Oh, and I got Provost Honors Winter Quarter 2010. That was kind of neat (finally I did well in school for one quarter)!
6. “Enjoy School”: Enjoyed section again. I actively avoided taking classes as an upperclassmen if they required section. Going to section for CAT 125 was not such a pain after all. After my junior year at UCSD, I started to become a little apathetic towards school. I’m glad my Senior Year was not so bad, but made me realize the value of this education I have received over the years, and that many around the world are not so fortunate.
7. “Utilize Help”: Went to office hours. I’m an office hours hater and never go to it, even when I did need help. I went to CAT 125 office hours. I can finally say to others that they should go to office hours and not sound like a hypocrite. Help seems so hard to ask for. But, we all could use some.
8. “Party”: This sounds ridiculous, but I never really party and drink. Well, I did some of that during my college career, mostly this year. Those were hard earned times to let go a little.
9. “Expand my Musical Horizons”: My first country music concert, Tim McGraw’s “Souther Voice Tour 2010” with Lady Antebellum. I’ve never seen so many people wearing plaid in my life. I also felt like a minority. But, it was a lot of fun and Tim and Lady A have good music. I spent the last night of the last quarter at UCSD having a blast and I loved it! Thank you to Maureen, Kelli, and Elaine for making it the best end I could ever ask for! The dance party in the car while driving out was the best! We definitely sang “Need You Now” in the car before we parted ways.
10. “Empower Others”: Changing the lives of people, or at least helping people realize the potential they have to change things, big or small. This is done through my leadership and service at UCSD. In doing so, I have made some of the best friends I will have for life. I can’t say goodbye to some people because that is so hard to do, and I don’t want to believe I won’t see some people ever again.
11. “Be Valued”: I proved to myself that I am of value, even if it is a small role that makes something run. The CSSC Convergence was a great example. I didn’t expect anything or people to care. Honestly. I was humbled by the love and dedication put into that conference. Good times.
12. “Be True to Myself”: I am gay and not ashamed of it. I surround myself with great friends and have realized some friends are worth keeping, while others will never be at that level. I know my limitations, what I’m good at and what I’m not, and I love where I am at in life.
13. “Perform Research”: I worked at the VA Sleep Lab under Sara Mednick. It was so much fun and a learning experience. The lab work was interesting and the lab potlucks and parties were always fun to attend. I will miss it so much! I’m glad I didn’t leave earlier and kept with it until the end!
14. “Be Proud”: I have had the chance to work and participate in some amazing student organizations. OASIS, Alternative Breaks@UCSD, UCSD Student Foundation, Sixth College Special Events Committee, TRIO/Upward Bound, Break Away Alternative Break Citizenship Schools. These have made me so proud of myself and the other people and student leaders involved. I applaud you. Everything has made me proud to call myself a UCSD Alumnus.
15. “Become an Active Citizen”: I’ve been accepted to City Year Boston, an AmeriCorps program. I can’t wait to start soon! I’m glad to have this opportunity to continue service after college and to have this experience.

The list can keep on going. I might actually keep adding to this if I can think of more things I accomplished! Some people say that it isn’t good to make a list of things you’ve accomplished because it starts to become a requirement. But, I think that it makes know that going through life, there are a lot of opportunities to do things. I refuse to live life without making it completely awesome. And, who knows, there will be a roadblock or speed bump along the way, but you should always, through the words of Tim McGraw, “Live Like You Were Dying”.