This past summer I had the privilege of volunteering with hospice patients in my hometown. Going into it, I was incredibly nervous because I’ve never handled sickness and death very well, so this tested me. When I went in to meet the patients, I actually learned that they were a part of the memory unit at the nursing home, which means they are the people who are dealing with alzheimer’s and things of that nature. So many of them don’t know where they are, or what time they are in. I met the sweetest lady there, Rosa, who just loved talking and spending time with visitors and just by spending that short period of time with Rosa, she and other patients, taught me many things about myself, and reinforced the fact that I want to continue to help people when I'm older and make other people's lives better like they made mine.

1. Don’t take life for granted.

You only have one life to live, so you have to live it. Whether that be not obsessing over the newest fashion trends or crying over that boy who won’t text you back. Why spend your time worrying about all these insignificant things and focus about what can make your life more positive?Rosa taught me that there is only one person standing in the way of your life and that’s you.

2. Enjoy the little things.

Whether this be enjoying the breeze on a beautiful summer’s day or the giggles of your best friend sitting next to you. You can carry these memories with you for many years down the road to remember on a dark day. So maybe instead of getting annoyed by the storm happening outside your window, go dance in the rain or cherish the time you get to spend with your family while hiding out indoors. I would take Rosa outside, sometimes, and it just brightened up her whole day just to sit out in the sunshine and hear the birds chirping. Every day she made the comment to me, "Do you hear those birds? I've never seen the sky look so pretty and blue."

3. Know that there are people who love you.

While this may be hard to understand sometimes, there are many people out there who love you. While some days it may just feel like no one understands or you feel all alone in the world, you aren’t. Rosa once said to me that she knows her daughter may not come visit her every day, but she understands and knows that her daughter loves her with all her heart. So, if someone hasn’t reached out to you in a while, it’s not because they don’t care or don’t love you, because they do.

4. Be patient.

If anything, being patient is the most important thing Rosa taught me. While sitting there with her, she would become confused and she wouldn’t remember who she was, I learned to become patient. This is one of the hardest things I’ve had to learn. Even now, I’m working on it. Patience is something you are constantly working on and perfecting. Although, sometimes you have to be impatient and that’s okay too. Being able to accept life’s delays and interruptions without throwing a fit is one of the hardest things to learn.

I never thought that spending my summer volunteering with hospice patients would open my eyes to how I could be living my life. I’m incredibly grateful to have learned this from such an unexpected source. I plan on using these four things every day and hopefully by the time I’m Rosa’s age, I can look back and reflect on how great my life was.