Does anyone remember what the weather was like last May 14th?

I do.

I remember everything about that day. I remember that it was sunny and hot. I remember complaining to myself that I had no idea what I was going to do for my birthday, and I remember exactly what I had on my subway six-inch turkey sandwich. I also remember being terrified that I was entering into my twenties and although accomplishing many things, I still didn’t have a clear direction. I remember the exact thought that was in my head and I remember exactly what song was on the radio when it happened.

On May 14, 2007, I was involved in a four car pile up on the Number 1. I remember the smell of the dust that came out of the airbags and the noise the mental made as it was contorting and crunching. I remember the sight of the smoke coming out of the engine and the fear I felt because I couldn’t feel my feet. It is amazing the childlike instincts that come out in a person when they are put in that type of situation. The first thing I did was call my mom and then I preceded to complain to the paramedics that there was glass in my pants, like a two year-old concerned about the sand in their shoe.

My life drastically changed that day. I had to relearn many skills and develop new ones. I had many bad days, well quite frankly, many bad months. And I was given a prognosis that I don’t care to repeat.

But, recovery is not the moral of the story. Not in the slightest. My accident was more of a wake up call, and yes I say I am lucky, because one can’t put a price on learning how much of a gift life is.

I guess the true moral of the story is that if there was one lesson I will take away from this experience; this lesson would be that life is so much more that “me.” On May 14th Albert Einstein was born, Frank Sinatra died, the Netherlands surrendered to Germany, and the American Civil rights movement faced a horrific set back when many civil rights protesters where beaten when the Freedom Rider’s bus was set on fire. But the world keeps on spinning, and spinning and spinning, and I think most of all, that is a very comforting thought.

My commitment to myself is that I make life be more than me, and in turn, in the words of Craig Kielburger, evolve from me to we.

But back to Einstein, a possessor of eloquence, once stated, “A person starts to live when he can live outside himself."

I want to leave you with one final thought, as many times we have all been asked to describe ourselves in one word; I will share with you my answer. Not leader, not nice, not funny, or even clever. Mine would be: Curious. “Eternally Curious” to be exact.

"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."

Kassandra’s Guide to Life:

1)    Question everything.
2)    Listen longer.
3)    Act. Now.