The saying goes "Life is a game we all play" and what an amazing game it can be. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but the fun part about the game is you never know till you play.

Live, Laugh and Love. Another saying that I have always thought describes the perfect way life should be.

To Live....It is different for each person but for me it means waking up each day and trying to have a better day than the previous one. That sometimes is easier said than done. Some of my favorite days are very hard to top. On a beach in Mexico, fishing with my dad when I was young, the day my nephew was born, sitting next to a stream in Colorado, just God and me, floating down the river with some of my best friends. These are a few of the many great days I have lived but there have been tough times too unfortunately. One of the ways I like to "live" is random road trips. You know those spur of the moment, pack in 10 minutes and just go kind of trips. Alone or with friends, they are hard to beat. Another cool thing is to do something that surprises everybody, including yourself. Busting out a solo dance at a wedding, playing air guitar on stage with your favorite band, skinny dipping{not that I have ever done that}, riding a roller coaster with your hands in the air. It can be anything you chose as long as it makes you feel alive .

To Laugh....My favorite thing in the world to do. Rib hurting, eyes watering, can't catch your breathe laughter is the best feeling in the world to me. Those moments are sometimes few and far between but always worth the wait. Laughter can make your troubles seem smaller and sometimes even make them go away. Making someone else laugh is a two for one deal that is hard to beat as well. Those days that several years later you think about and laugh all over again are the best of times. You know when you see something that reminds you of that day, be it a can of black eyed peas or a hot air balloon basket, if it triggers a smile...then it must have been a pretty cool day! The neat thing about laughter is its free and everyone can do it. Sometimes we get so caught up in life and worrying about things we have no control over that we forget to step back and enjoy the moment at hand. Just like everyone else, I have had bad days too. However, if I can make myself laugh or just crack a smile, I usually see that things will get better. I always get a good laugh or two in when I call someone up I have not seen in a while and talk of old times. When I was little I had a Snoopy light switch cover that said "Smile...it makes people wonder what you have been up too"...it was the last thing I saw when I walked out of my room...and I'm still smiling.

To Love....Love is a powerful and meaningful word. It takes on many shapes and forms. I love God! I love my country! I love hanging out with friends. These are few ways love can be expressed. The best form of love is when it is giving to someone who means so much to you and they give it tenfold in return. It may seem like a rare commodity, but that's what makes it so valuable. I see it in so many of my friends eyes and I know that is what I dream of having. For example, there is a guy in my home town whose wife is in a wheelchair and in very bad health and yet he finds the strength to smile and enjoy life because he loves her so deeply and she loves him more. Even though it may appear to you and me that he lost, he knows he is a winner of his game. He is Living, Laughing, Loving and enjoying every minute of it. Although love has been my Achilles' heel, I keep playing my game hoping I too can win someday.