I was born during the 1975 so-called Civil War in Lebanon. Like so many others, I have experienced bombings, all sorts of shortages, and turmoil that we kids understood nothing about, and obviously traumatized us. I am blessed with a mother who is deeply religious and never wanted us to have the "shelter" experience. So when people rushed underground to hide from rockets and missiles, we stayed put, prayed, sang songs, read books -there was obviously no electricity to watch anything on TV and the choices were pretty much limited compared to today- and we were first told the horrifying sounds were "thunder". Until it seems I asked, how come we hear thunder where there is no cloud in the sky? And evidently, the adult narrative had to be changed. Mom is a devout Christian, not a bigot mind you, who believed we were protected no matter where we went. She certainly prayed to that end, as any good mother would. All this explains why I grew up believing that each day was a blessing in itself and that it was essential to making the most of what was at hand. I have very good and happy memories of my childhood, as I was shielded from feeling fear.

Fast forward about a decade. I am a teenager in Germany, away from my parents and siblings. The separation is difficult for a sensitive person but as an introvert, I keep my feelings to myself and try to process them on my own. I had heard about the "Dead Poets Society" movie and I received the book as a birthday gift. Needless to say that I just devoured it from cover to cover. I later had the opportunity to watch the movie while remembering what I had read, and I loved Robin Williams' performance, even if I still preferred the written publication. You can read my review of the book here. The mindset of "seize the day" was not a foreign concept to me, even if it wasn't portrayed in those exact words by my entourage. It was more of each day should be lived on its own, there is no point in worrying about tomorrow for today beings enough "interesting experiences" already. My parents pushed me to face the obstacles, and think about overcoming them with the tools at hand. That meant that, as a true Capricorn, once the goal was clearly set, nothing would stand in my way...

Some quotes on Carpe Diem:

If you don't take risks, you will have a wasted soul - Drew Barrymore

Don't wait, the time will never be just right - Napoleon Hill

Nothing is more worth than this day - Johann W. v. Goethe

Each day is the opportunity to travel back into tomorrow's past and change it - Robert Breault

Our anxiety does not come from thinking about the future, but from wanting to control it - Gibran Khalil Gibran

So what do you say? Let's make our lives as extraordinary as possible, every single day! Because if not now, then when?