WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF TODAY WAS YOUR LAST DAY?

Ted Mosby once said, "But that's the funny thing about destiny: it happens whether you plan it or not. It turns out I was just too close to the puzzle to see the picture that was forming."

I've spent a lot of time thinking about whether or not I believe in destiny. Do we have a set path that we will end up following no matter what we choose? If so, does it really matter what we choose? Because if that was true, wouldn't everything just happen like it was supposed to anyway?

But if we are in charge of our own destiny, then we are also to blame when things don't turn out how we want them to.

I have spent my entire life wondering what my life will eventually be. I spend so much time trying to figure out what comes next that sometimes I forget that life is happening right now. Sometimes I actually have to take time to remind myself to live in the moment.

So, it got me thinking: what if I only had one more day? How would I spend it? Who would I spend it with?

If today was my last day, I would spend it with my best friends and my family. I would play hide-and-go-seek with my little sister as many times as she wanted. I would let everyone in my life know how much they really mean to me and how much they affect who I am every day.

If today was my last day, I wouldn't spend so much time on my phone, because nothing on Facebook is really ever that interesting. And yet, I find myself glued to my phone more than I care to admit.

If today was my last day, I would get better at texting people back and call my grandma. I'm sorry, Grandma. I really do mean to call more.

If today was my last day, I would eat the ice cream, because sometimes happiness is about more than your waistline.

If today was my last day, I would stop taking everything so seriously. Life is a funny thing, and I think we all need to relax a little and just enjoy it.

If today was my last day, I would spend time in my favorite place: the ocean. If I could live anywhere in the world it would be right off the beach.

If today was my last day, maybe I could stop being so afraid of the future.

I don't know if I believe in destiny. I like to believe life is more "choose your own adventure" than it is a set path. But maybe it is time we stop thinking in terms of what our lives will become in the future. I love Ted Mosby. How I Met Your Mother is and always will be one of my favorite shows. But while Ted spent his entire life waiting for his life to start, he sometimes lost sight of what was right in front of him.

The worries of the future can consume you. They can eat you apart. But don't let them. Happiness seems to be this elusive goal that we all search for, but it doesn't have to be something we strive to attain in the future. You don't have to wait. Whatever your "destiny" is (if you believe you have one), it is important to try to find happiness in the present, because you can never be certain of what the future holds.

And that's okay.

What would you do if today was your last day?

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED FROM "HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER"

So far my winter vacation has consisted of a series of naps in between watching How I Met Your Mother and spending time with people back home. I spent a few days watching my little sister before she went back to kindergarten. I saw a few movies. And I took pictures with some of my best friends (like the one above). 

Now, after 5 and half seasons of HIMYM, I'm starting to feel ready to go back to school. I have finally had the time to workout, and boy is my body feeling it. My legs ache, my back is sore, and I have 11 weeks left of a workout program I agreed to do with my roommate. (We'll see how long that lasts.)

The thing is as soon as school starts, I'm going to regret wanting to go back. Everything gets busy so fast. I'm just running out of activities. I haven't felt much like writing these days. Lately I have held myself up to impossible standards of finding the perfect subject to pick up blogging again after my impromptu hiatus. But I am making myself come up with something, because you can only watch so much HIMYM before having an existential crisis about the state of your life. It's weird how much I can relate to that show when the main characters are in their thirties. 

On top of all that, every time I go on Facebook another person is headed off to study abroad. And it's a little bit difficult to watch, not only because some of them are my friends, but also because up until a few months ago I thought for sure I would be one of them. 

But I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, and there is something else in store for me back here. For now, since I have watched so much How I Met Your Mother, here are a few lessons I have learned along the way: 

1. No matter how well a first date goes, saying "I love you" is NEVER appropriate. 

But somehow you can recover from it and keep this person in your life (if your name is Ted Mosby)? 

2. If someone is meant to be in your life, they will come into it (or come back into it) when they are supposed to. 

Letting go of someone you care about it always difficult. Ted and Robin have been all over the place, but there's no doubt that in some shape or form they are meant to be in each other's lives. 

3. Life goals can change. And maybe they should. 

Everyone in the group has gone through a series of life changes. Marshall dreamt of being an environmental lawyer, but the reality of living in New York and trying to raise a family with Lily meant settling for a corporate job to survive. 

4. Sometimes dating isn't about "finding the one", but more about figuring out what you want out of relationships with other people. 

Ted was determined to find the one. He was ready to start find the woman he was "supposed to be with", and start a family. But it took a lot longer than he expected. But all of the women along the way helped him grow and figure out what he really wanted out of a relationship. 

5. Growing up is hard. 

At twenty years old, it's really easy to think that by 30 I'll have it all figured out. But after 5 seasons of HIMYM, I've realized that growing up is an ongoing process, and no one actually has it all figured out.

6. The journey is just as important as the destination. 

Once Ted was complaining about how he wanted to find his wife and start his life now, but Robin reminded him that it was about the journey and not just having the life. He wanted to skip past all of the stuff in between and end up with his perfect family. But you have to keep in mind, that it doesn't end there. Your life doesn't start once you land your dream job or find your "soulmate." It's happening RIGHT NOW, and you have to be present in every part of the journey. 

7. Life doesn't follow your timeline.

This one goes hand in hand with the last point, but I thought it was worth making its own separate point. You can plan your life out as much as you want. You can set dates for when specific life events should happen. You can envision where you want to be in 5, 10, 15 years. But nothing ever happens according to plan, and nothing is wrong with you for not having the life you thought you would have by now. 

8. You are AWESOME. 

Barney Stinson may be one of the most overconfident, narcissistic playboys of all time. But he got one thing right: you are awesome, and you should believe that.