COLUMN: Be thankful for the time you have, express love for those around you

Cherish the moments with your friends or family this season. Don’t just take this time of year to give the annual gift or remind people you care. Give and be caring throughout the entire year.

I know what it’s like to lose someone who was once so close to you. One moment, he or she is there: You share a laugh, wish them a good night and wake up the next morning to find that he or she gone. It can happen to anyone at any second, and whether you want to call it an abrupt awakening or a harsh reality, it hurts.

Too often people wait until it’s too late to tell someone how they feel. There is a time and place to say certain things to people, but no one is in control of time. It will pass you by whether you like that or not.

I talk with my extended family – aunts and uncles on my dad’s side— two or three times a year; I call them when it’s their birthday, they call me when it’s my birthday and we talk sometimes during the holidays to wish one another Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Do I love them? Yes, of course. So why don’t I call them more often to tell them and to see how they are doing? I have no reason to explain why I don’t call them more often.

If that is you, call your family and remind them that you care. You never know when you’ll need them, and you’ll never know when the day may come when they are gone.

If there’s someone you like, tell him or her. Don’t wait for the opportunity to pass because you will always remember the chance you did not take to tell someone how you felt. You will always wonder ‘what if.’

Remind your significant other you love them. ‘I love you’ is one of the shortest lines that carries such importance and emotion. It takes a moment to express. Remind your friends and family that you love them as well.

Don’t just wait for the holiday season to help a person or family in need. Help throughout the year. People aren’t in need only around the holidays. Helping people in your community who are less fortunate is a universal gesture that speaks ‘I love you,’ and there is no wrong time to do so.

This holiday season, express affection and do not take things for granted. Finals are challenging, but be thankful you’re getting a college education. Arguments are inevitable, but make up and move on. You never know when your last moments together may be. Finally, help your community. Demonstrate a work of heart. Everyone wants to be loved and cared for.

Alex Niblett is a journalism junior.

Alex Niblett

Alex Niblett, Journalism Junior minoring in International Studies, works as an opinion columnist for The Daily. Previously, Alex has worked as a Life & Arts reporter in Fall 2011. Alex is a native of Texas.

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