I was on a plane getting ready for takeoff and like I always do when I’m on a plane getting ready for takeoffI convinced myself that I was going to die.I understand the concept of flight. I get why it works. I just have a hard time believingthe metal tube I voluntarily strapped myself intois going to shoot thousands of feet up into the sky and land, safelyon some thin strip of concrete a couple thousand miles away.I’m genuinely surprised every time it happens.To distract myself from the controlled explosionthat would propel me to my doomI started thinking, “If I am going to die today what would I want you to know? If I could pass along one thing in a franticthirty second phone conversationon the way down what would it be?”The answer came immediately. “You are a miracle.”You don’t have to believe in Godor anything supernaturalto appreciate the fact that over billions of years and the infinite number of possible combinations of atoms, you arrived here at this specific place, at this specific time. At every turn, from the beginning of the universe, the road was paved for your arrival.At any given point along the way, someone makes a left instead of a right and you were never here.But you are here.You were given a gift.Life.A chance.Opportunity.There’s just one catch: there’s no guarantee for how long.Even the luckiest of us who live to be a hundred yearsare still only herefor a blink of an eyein the face of eternity. Every moment counts. Every laugh, every hug, every smile, every kiss, every small act of kindness or forgiveness every time you look into the eyes of someone you love, every great slice of pizza or long nap on a rainy day, every dance, every step, every breath, could be your verylast.I’m not saying you should try to live each momentwith the full weight of that knowledge. Nobody can truly live each moment like it’s the last. At some point you have to wash the car, pay the bills, buy toilet paper.No. Your life will be made up of a bunch of ordinary moments, punctuated by the extraordinary. But even those little moments are a gift. Be mindful of things that waste your time.Holding grudges, withholding forgiveness, taking things too personally, worrying about circumstances beyond your control. Enjoy the hard times. You can learn so much about yourself when faced with adversity. Be grateful for the growth born of struggle. Kindness and compassion, even in the deepest, darkest daysare not just worth accepting, they’re worth giving, freely.There are times when you’ll hurt. There are times you’ll feel alone. When you feel like it’s just you against the world and you’re a poor ally, even for yourself. You’ll feel grief and loss when loved ones depart. There may be days when you feel like you absolutely can’t go on. That living itself seems impossible. That it would take a miracle to turn your life around.In those moments, I hope you remember this:If the universe, over billions of years and the infinite number of possible combinations of atoms brought you here at this specific place,at this specific time, anything is possible. You are the evidence of infinite possibility.Of course the universe is capable of miracles.It already created you.