My senior year of high school, I had this life-changing teacher and coach. He was one of those individuals who just genuinely loves people. He also would get so excited about the most mundane things.

His classroom was in the portable trailer, and I was in there after class one day taking a test. He told me he was just going to run some papers down to the office. He opened the door, and sheets of rain were coming down. He hesitated. “Maybe I should wait,” he said. Then, “Nah! It makes you feel alive!” He sprinted into the rain. I never forgot that, and when something isn’t going my way, I often hear his voice in my head: “It makes you feel alive!”

I was babysitting a couple weeks after I graduated high school, and I got bit by a dog. While the dog circled back towards us (probably to attack me again), I scooped up the one-year-old and told the three-year-old to run inside as I ran after her with her brother. When we got inside, my knee was bleeding, but I had two upset toddlers to comfort. I was literally shaking from the adrenaline and fear as I rocked the crying baby. After they were somewhat calmed down, I hurried to the bathroom to clean my injury. I was still shaking and was now close to tears, as the adrenaline was wearing off.

Suddenly, I heard my teacher’s voice in my head: “It makes you feel alive!”

It was such an absurd thing to think in the moment that I laughed aloud. “It certainly does do that,” I thought. Remembering to experience life instead of merely survive it gave me the courage to bandage my knee, leave the bathroom, and go play with the kids for two more hours.

I had a great time.