1.No one’s invincible…

I’ve had some interesting experiences. Like, really interesting. However, you know when you see something happen to someone else, and it’s like wild, and you’re like, “but, that would never happen to me.”

Well, yeah, that was me, until I found myself in the hospital on the Friday night I was supposed to be having a good ass time. So, “how,” you ask? Mm, okay.

It all started when I decided to take a boat trip with my friend for a good 4 hours during the hottest period of the day. And let me tell you, “Israel hot” is not a joke. Oh, it was a great time. We talked for hours, dangled our legs over the side during severe waves (like the wild people we are, obvi), and just smiled at the fact we are just so damn alive.

Flash forward mm, about, 8 hours. It’s 11 o’clock and I’m walking the streets with my roomies in Tel Aviv. “Guys,” I chuckle nervously, “Um, I feel kinda weird, I think I’m gonna head back.”

“Are you sure you’re okay, you want us to come with you?”

“Nah, you’re chill, go have fun, I’ll just be home.”

Stupid. I walk home, it’s pretty dark out. We live in kind of a ghetto area, but it’s fine. I get home, still feel weird - huh. I’ve had a headache all day, it’s getting worse. What’s happening with my vision? I call my best friend. “Hey, I feel kind of weird, I think I’m gonna pass out.”

It is now 12:05am. I start texting my roomies. “Guys, I feel like I’m gonna pass out, I think I’m gonna go outside in case I do, so I’m not alone.” Lol stupid.

“We’re coming home.”

They brought me coconut water, ice cream [solution to everything (just not heat stroke)]. My whole body starts shaking uncontrollably so we start to look up my symptoms. Heat stroke, according to WedMD, “can kill or cause damage to the brain…[and] if you suspect that someone has heat stroke, call 911 immediately” to go to the hospital.

“Oh, well, guess we’re going.”

Moral of the story? No one’s invincible. After nearly seven hours in the hospital, I found out that 4 hours during prime sun time on a boat without water or a hat is not exactly a good idea. After being diagnosed with heat exhaustion and dealing with the symptoms for another straight month, in and out of emergency rooms, I realized that yeah, shit happens - to everyone. But the thing is, it does happen, and that will always be a possibility, a possible outcome in any situation. Therefore, I believe -

2.…but sometimes you have to live like you are

I guess you could say that this summer changed my life. First year of college, yeah, I “matured,” but how much can you really mature eating in dining halls and living on a campus only a 2 hour drive from home? What really changes you is spending an entire summer in another country, living on your own in apartments with people you’ve never met, and taking chances. This summer I’ve gone on adventures and explored places I never thought life would take me. After work one day, I decided to take my regular stroll through the market, only to end up making my way on foot to an entirely different city. Walking through empty streets, with only the jingle of my own thoughts to distract me, I learned about myself. Turning complete strangers into close friends, stumbling along different paths - spiritual, wild, emotional, inspirational, adventurous - I realized there’s not a single one that’s “right.” It’s a beautiful thing, freedom. Once in a while we just have to take the chance, even if we’re not invincible - open up to that new person, go on that adventure. Cause as risky as life may be, it is short, and also -

3. Life is made for us to live…

The world is huge. Like… really huge. Just think about it. There are 7 continents, 195 countries, and 4,416 cities in the world today. How many of them have you explored? Now I know that traveling is not for everyone. But there’s something for all of us, something each one of us is passionate about, would die to do for the rest of our life. You know what, call me a hippy, but I say go for it. We’re blessed with a heart and soul and mind which in turn blesses us with the ability to love, to be actually made happy by something. How many times have your classes made you smile like the time you pressed play on the radio and started to dance, when your foot connected with the ball in the air, that second your fingers drifted over the keys and music began to flow out? You know what? I say do what makes your heart happy, not your bank account. Cause that’s what our bank account is there for anyway right - to bring us…happiness? That’s why I say in life, we’re–

4.… not to follow a path someone told us to

I’ve heard too many stories. She went to law school - 3 years. First day in the office, realized she was miserable - up and quit. He wanted to be an artist - hated medicine, but for some reason decided to spend the rest of his life practicing it. 10, 12 hour work days. (Doing something you hate?) My own mom - “I just feel like I can’t keep living my life half asleep.” Why do we spend 20-some of our years in school, the years we’re the most able, only to spend the rest of it working with maybe 10-15 left to actually enjoy ourselves (too bad we all have arthritis and dementia). I’m done with society. You know what, no matter what they say –

5. I’m only human

So many years of my life, I’ve been so, so hard on myself. I think most of us are. High school was hard… middle school was harder. Why couldn’t I just have a beach house and play on golf courses like everyone else? Damn, I wish I was born with blond hair so the boys would like me… blonds have more fun anyway. I grew up going to schools out in the country - I was vegetarian, Jewish, brown, ADHD, très petite and just, different. So I pushed myself. I had to be perfect, even if it was in my own way. Everything always had to be perfect, even if it killed me. It took me awhile, but eventually I realized that I will make mistakes. And not everything has to go perfectly to be good. Self-love is more important than success. And pushing yourself doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself with kindness. Sometimes I still strive for perfection, but it’s for myself, not for anyone else. It took me awhile, but I finally realized that after everything, I am only human –

6.…and so is everyone else

I used to be really intimidated by people. Now, meeting them is probably on the top of my list. This probably took me longer to figure out than most things, but probably the most beautiful realization I’ve ever had is that everyone is going through the same thing together - a beautiful thing called life. We all have pasts, insecurities, passions, hopes, things that make us happy or scared. And at the end of the day - as amazing and unique as each person is, we also share one beautiful thing in common, we’re all human. And there’s absolutely nothing to be afraid of.

Welcoming a new person into your life is an incredible thing. There are so many things to learn from people, you’d be surprised - I certainly was. Take for instance this past summer – try living with 22 girls you’ve never met before and not absorbing a part of them into yourself. Ha. This summer was intense, and you know why? Because each girl I met was different and beautiful in her own way, and each in turn had something to teach me. Our program’s applicants ranged from super religious, to well, super atheist and proud. We had girls who had never left the country in their life and others who had seen the world twice over. Some nights, I’d be out till 5am partying until it got late enough and the deep conversations began. Others, I’d be up till well, about the same time, huddling in small beds with my friends, a nice plump glass of wine, good-sized tub of ice cream, and our favorite con movie.

And hey, what about in school? Don’t tell me you never see someone who just looks… interesting. For whatever reason, you just want to talk to them ‘cause you think they probably have a lot to say. Well, I’ve learned from people who have apparently thought I was that kind of person. Approached me first – hell, now we’re best friends. I’ve learned about religions I never thought I’d explore, pondered about futures I never thought I’d consider, traveled the world in one night with friends from countries with stories I could never even begin to imagine. I say there are three ways to learn in this world – school being the least efficient of them. The other two? Experience and experience – yours and that of your fellow human being, that of a friend. God, you can grow so much just from talking to people. So I say if you do see someone you’re interested in - romantically, friendship-wise, whatever - go for it, what’s the worst they can do? An honest, amazing human being is gonna be complimented and happy if anything, no one’s going to judge you for wanting to be their friend. We’re all in this together, and honestly, if we would just realize this, I feel like we’d be a lot closer to world peace. But maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. But truly, I just feel that people can not only be amazing and kind and fun, but can teach us all something different because -

7. There are just so many different ways to live…

In life, we go through many phases, discover so many new interests, realize so many amazing things. Sometimes we may feel like playing football, others, doing yoga. We’re so in tune with new opportunities because we were born to be versatile. We need to stop fitting ourselves in little boxes and locking ourselves in, staring dreamily at the world outside our comfort zone.

A couple years ago, I didn’t think like this. I wondered if I was really good at one thing, how I could truly succeed at another, especially something so many poles apart. I was scared to try new things, saw myself as a “dance person” but not “hippy enough” to try something like yoga. Thinking back to these contemplations, I can truly see the maturity level I was at, at that point in my life. Today, yoga has been my life savior. Both this and meditation have played huge roles in who I am today, giving me the strength and power to see the beauty in everything – to laugh­ at everything. I’ve tried ballet, jazz, salsa, bachata, modern, mambo, cooking, writing, fencing, Chinese, yoga, Zumba, soccer, carving, poetry, acting, French, drawing… and damnI’ve noticed a lot since then. Breaking out of your comfort zone, that little box you build so carefully around yourself, teaches you that the biggest thing stopping you, is yourself. I honestly believe that, although it may be difficult to realize at first, all the beautiful things that make up our world are truly here for us to explore –

8.…and there’s nothing wrong with trying all of them

Our society has taught us to define ourselves. “Are you right-brained?” “No, I’m definitely not a math person.” “Oh she’s vegan, she’ll judge you if show her that meat.” “My skin’s darker than his, he’s probably not gonna like me.” “I guess I’m a hippy.” “I’m an athlete, I don’t play video games.” “Um, no, I like business, I’m not that great with the creative stuff.” STOP! Why can’t we stop being so damn afraid of being something and everything. Why not the more the better? Life’s short guys, I guess that’s really my point here. I’m not fearless, I’m certainly not perfect, but life has taught me a few things, and if there’s anything I’ve learned in the past few years, it’s that it’s here for living.

So you know what? That risk of heat stroke and all the other things you’re so damn afraid of is beyond worth it. Trust me on that one.

So get out there and talk to people, travel, try new things. God, the world is a beautiful, so what are you doing sitting on your phone looking at pictures of all the adventures you could be having? Go. Adventure. Explore. Say yes more. Explore. Life’s real baby, so wake up, and start living it.