Here it is... Christmas. This is the time to celebrate and cherish yet another year with family and loved ones. This is the time to stuff your face and wait patiently until the clock strikes midnight to finally open your gifts. But most importantly, this is the time to realize that another year is coming to a swift close and to take a step back and reflect. 

As you take a moment to go back, you may feel like, maybe you're not as far as you want to be in life or perhaps just not as far as you had imagined you'd be a couple years ago. You may compare your life to the life of others, and for a second, get lost in all the glitz and glamour you assume is in these people's lives because of the crazy pictures they post on Facebook, but chill. You are your own unique person, with your own personality, memories, tragedies, and experiences–– and your path has only been taken by you, and you alone. 

A couple weeks ago a friend of mine passed away. He was only a year older than me and I had known him since middle school. We had similar classes, saw each other in the halls, and like everyone else that grew up walking through those Trojan halls, eventually went our separate ways, made our own group of friends, regretted silly mistakes, and pursued our own set of dreams. And as sad as his passing was, it made me realize something. Although he may not have had the time to reach all his goals, he was able to do something that most people can only hope to accomplish in their lifetime-- he left not only a mark, but a legacy. We didn't need to be best friends to know the kind of person he was, and his incredible ability to be able to reach out and leave such a warm impression on the lives of so many individuals was probably the best gift he could've left behind.

Take a minute and look around. Hold onto to those who hold you closest in their hearts and never forget how precious they are in your life. Continue to make memories, enjoy this hurricane of a life, spend every minute you can chasing your passions, and be a difference in the lives of others. At the end of the day, no matter how much money you make, no matter how many shoes you own, no matter how many places you've traveled, none of that matters if you don't have anyone to share that with. Not every person that walks through your life is meant to stay, but those that do are life's most timeless blessings.

Rest in peace, Rob.