Some of the bravest people are those who suffer but are able to stay strong. They have a way of capturing us with their determination, courage and strength, making our problems seem so insignificant in a matter of seconds.

Last Friday we received the call that a close family friend had died after a long fight with cancer.

Gary had a family, a life and he was taken from them both too early.

Through it all, he repeated five simple words. “It is what it is.”

The saying is now tattooed on my aunt’s wrist and  our hearts.

I never understood how someone going through that much pain and suffering could be ok with what was happening, but I realized that was his way of coming to terms with cancer.

It is now my aunt’s way of coming to terms with grief, because it doesn’t matter how much we want something to change, “it is what it is.”

We can’t bring him back and we couldn’t take the cancer away, the only thing we could do was accept what was happening.

There is so much more to life than worrying.

People worry so much about insignificant things.

For instance, is what we wore today or how we texted someone going to matter five years from now, five months from now or even five days?

Probably not.

Believe me, I know it’s hard to avoid worrying, if there was an award for anxiety I would have the gold, but there is something about coming to terms with whatever you’re struggling with.

Things in life are going to be difficult but “it is what it is,” and I can’t change it.

Even though I never met Gary before he died, he managed to inspire me, his five little words taught me that life is too short to worry about silly little things. He taught me to grab life by the horns.

It’s hard to change your outlook on life, but in his memory I say you should try it.