My First Post

So, I was planning for my first post to be a more in-depth biography and expand on my "About Me" page, but it just wasn't meant to happen in that order. I'll get to the post soon enough. For now, I want to talk about something else. Over the weekend I was in an apparently major skating accident.

Here's a quick rundown of what happened:

I was skating back home from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa early in the morning when I fell off my skateboard and hit my head on the pavement. I scraped up my elbows and knees and came away with many bruises. The most major injury was the hit to my head. I didn't even realize how hard I hit my head at the moment. I think I was in such a state of shock that I fell at all to even realize the magnitude of what had happened. I somehow managed to get up and skate the remainder of the way home from the university. I could have died. I've never hit my head that hard before, let alone an accident that bad on a skateboard. Despite the unfortunate fact that the accident occurred, I count myself very lucky.

Here's a quick rundown of how God was watching over me:

I would later find out that my glasses and airpods were run over by a car. Fortunately, that's all that was run over. Also, despite not wearing a helmet and hitting my head pretty hard, I didn't sustain a fatal head injury. I also didn't break any bones. I've somehow never broken anything in my life. I'm thankful that streak can continue. The most serious injuries were to my upper extremities. Although life as an athlete is so minuscule, as a runner, I thank God that my legs were somehow undamaged.

Reflecting back on that night now, it all just seems so unnecessary. Most of the injuries were pretty routine skateboarding injuries, but that head injury can't be understated. We read about tragic head injuries all the time, and think that there's no way that could be us. Nobody wants to be a statistic. But we could be. The phrase "You Only Live Once" is used quite commonly in our society today. Most people interpret that to mean that since you only have one chance to live life, you should do whatever you want. I never quite fell under that category, but I now interpret that phrase to mean something else entirely: Be smart and make the right decisions since you only have one life to live.

I have so much to be thankful for. By God's will, two days later I was able to spend labor day with my mom, sister, and two of my brothers. I can't ask for much more that that. I read a story about a minor league baseball player from Hawai'i that was also in a skating accident the same weekend as me. He unfortunately passed. Prayers up to his friends and family. That easily could have been me. A lot of us don't like to think about our own mortality since we're so young, but what if? We aren't promised tomorrow. If the world ended today, or if God suddenly called you home, are you satisfied with the way you lived and the lives you've touched? I'd like to think I am, but I know I'm not and still have a lot of room to grow.

All I know is that I'm blessed to still be here, and I thank God for my life every day.

Check out this week's "Song of the Week" on the Life Soundtrack page:

"Control (Somehow You Want Me)" by Tenth Avenue North