I want to share about a moment in time that truly stuck in my mind, and probably will for a very long time. I was in an Uber in Daytona Beach, Florida with my good friends after a night out at an outside bar named "509 Lounge". We get into the Uber, and immediately start chatting up with the Uber driver, as per usual.

She begins chatting with us about how the universe sends us signs. The woman says that no matter what happens in this world, the people you meet, and the places you go will always have an impact on your life whether you know it or not. After going into detail about how she fell in love with a boy just at thirteen-years-old, and reunited with him almost 25-30 years later and fell in love all over again, I began to think about how crazy the world truly works. How is it possible that the universe could separate these two for so many years, and somehow bring them back together where they truly belong? I sat, dramatically looking out the window as we were driving through a town I recently became familiar with, thinking of all the people that have come in and out of my life. I couldn't help but feel nostalgic of how much time was wasted caring over stupid drama, and the people who once meant so much to me that are no longer a part of my day to day life. I felt nostalgic about moments that could have been saved, prevented or embraced more, and how much of an impact certain people truly had on my life that I did not appreciate enough.

People say that 'everything happens for a reason', but how could this be true? How could someone at one point in your life be so incredibly important to you, and then years later not even exist in your life whatsoever? How could one small "yes" or "no" completely shape the way the road your life takes. I find it a hard concept- every decision we make, people we meet, and places we go truly have that much of an effect on you. Just last week I found myself sitting in my college apartment stressing over school work, the next I'm down south with my best friend meeting people from different countries and relaxing by the beach.

Although we will never know what the reasoning is behind every action and decision we make, it is somehow comforting. Something good (or maybe bad) could come out of anything. You just need to trust your instinct that every action you make, or conversation you have, will shape some part of your life whether you know it or not. That girl you met sitting in the back of the classroom for a brief second might end up being your maid of honor in just a few short years. The universe works in mysterious ways; we never know what is going to happen, but that is life. Life is about taking chances, and saying yes to new opportunities when they are presented to us. It is about enjoying the moments we have now with the people in our lives, and to be open about the people we are soon to meet and make our lives even better. It is about celebrating the small moments, the big accomplishments and the sad times with those who will lift you up at the end of the day.

Everything happens for a reason. This might be a quote that you do not entirely believe in. Some are skeptical, and believe we essentially choose our own fate. Yes, we might choose certain things in life that may end up being a large part of our future, but I truly believe that God works in his ways, and puts us all on our own individual paths to success and happiness.