Up until this moment the day was ordinary, school went by fast and Matt Barnes carried out his after school activities. It was around five o’clock, and Matt had just arrived home from his yearly checkup at the doctor’s office. He laid motionless across his bed, his room in complete silence. Ironically, the nice San Diego weather changed to extremely windy, there was an obvious storm brewing. Matt’s entire room grew gloomy; the only activity in the room came from his mind racing a million miles per second. An hour went by until Matt awoke from his trance; the sound echoing through the house came from his mom calling him down for dinner. He attempted to arise from his bed but his legs wouldn’t move. He decided to just lie down longer. Thirty minutes passed until he worked up enough energy to pull himself up and work his way down to the kitchen.

When he arrived in the kitchen, Matt noticed his mother on the other side of the island.

Matt’s mother, Anne, frantically rushed around the kitchen while preparing dinner, but she proceeded to ask Matt, “Hi honey, how are you”? Matt completely disregarded his mother speaking due to everything on his mind.

Anne sensed the weird vibes, and proceeded to ask again, “Are you okay honey?” Momentarily after the words left her mouth, Anne knocked a vase from the island onto the floor. She let out a sharp screech, and said, “Could my day get any worse!”

Matt’s head immediately shot straight down to the hardwood floor; he couldn’t bring himself to look at his mother’s face. He had no earthly idea how to explain the news he had just received. Matt couldn’t fathom how to begin to tell his mother that the doctor told him he has a malignant brain tumor that has no possibility of being treated, and worst of all that he has anywhere from a month to two months to live. Matt knew that the news would devastate his mother, so he decided to keep to himself.

In reaction to Anne dropping the vase, Matt quickly rushed to the other side of the island and began picking up the glass shards. Matt quickly reassured his mother, “Mom its fine I’ll clean it up, and everything is fine I’m just a little tired.”

Dinner continued on, and the entire Barnes family sat around the table conversing about their days. Matt thought about telling his family his terrible news, but every time he worked up the courage to do so he could not get the words out of his mouth.

Later that night, Matt sat in his bed for hours in an upright position. He knew he would not fall asleep. It became very clear to Matt that informing his family and friends was the right thing to do. However, he also knew that if people found out they would become very upset, and remain that way for, most likely, the remainder of his existence. That is why that night, while reflecting on his life, Matt decided not to tell a soul about his condition. He came to the conclusion that he would rather enjoy the rest of the time he is given than spend it unhappy.
The next morning, Matt woke up at six; instead of being upset, or questioning why these unfortunate events happened to him, he accepted the situation and was rather thankful to see another day. Before Matt left his home, he made sure to bid farewell to all of his family members, for obvious reasons. At school, Matt had a whole new outlook. Prior to learning of his brain tumor, he was often angry or upset at school. He didn’t like the idea of having to wake up early in the morning, work hard all day, and then have to go home to do more school related work. Now, Matt decided to no longer dread school; he saw it as an opportunity to meet new people, socialize with old friends, and learn new information that he would never have known. Matt’s attitude change could even be seen in how he walked through the hallways.
Matt walked passed a student who looked lost and asked, “Hey, are you a new student?”

The new student was nervous and this was evident as he responded, “Yeah, I’m just a little lost but I’m fine I’ll figure out where to go.”
Matt quickly interrupted the boy, “It’s alright I’ll take you to where you need to go, it’s hard enough being the new student.” Even though Matt’s gesture was small, he had no idea how he made the new students day.

Matt quickly discovered how often he used to overlook the simplest things. He now realized the impact a simple hello, goodbye, smile, or hug has on someone’s day. Matt also soon learned that he often became upset or worried over simple, unimportant, things. Matt’s ticking clock soon taught him that he had no time to waste being upset, angry, or stressed. He was living every single day as it was his last. At school, Matt became a very outgoing person: he joined a variety of clubs and became friends with people he never thought he would be friends with before.

In addition, Matt did everything he could to spend more time with his family. He grew to cherish the bickering between him and his brother, he thoroughly enjoyed talking to his mother about his day, and he never missed an opportunity to watch a sporting event with his father. Before Matt went to bed, he always told his family goodnight along with how much he loved each of them. At night, Matt often reflected on his day; he would examine whether or not he did everything he could to enjoy himself and he would always ask that if he died that night would he be satisfied with his life. With each additional day Matt lived, the answer to that question started to become a yes, he had become very thankful for the life he had been given.

As days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to a month, Matt surely knew he didn’t have much more time. As his time decreased, he slowly started to become at peace with himself. He no longer felt the need to try new things or explore new realms. Instead, he made sure to surround himself by loved ones. He cherished every extra second he had, and never wasted one of them. Matt felt as if he had been given additional time in order for him to leave his mark.

During Matt’s final days, he wanted to explain to all of his friends and family why they were important to him. During school, he thanked each and everyone one of his friends for always being there for him regardless of the situation. Most of them had no idea how to react; they thought he was having a midlife crisis at the age of eighteen. However, Matt did not mind his friend’s weird reactions; he knew he had no time to be worried about how people perceived him.

When Matt arrived home, he grew very emotional; he found his mother and said, “Mom I want you to know how important you are to me, and I’m so thankful for everything you have done.”

Anne’s face brightened up with a very wide smile gleaming from behind her aged lips and stated, “Matt you mean so much to me as well, and I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have you as a son.” Matt couldn’t bring himself to look his mother in the eyes when these words left her mouth; he had to fight back tears. The other two conversations did not go any easier, and as time passed Matt feared that these might be his final goodbyes.

Later that night, before Matt worked himself up to his room, he took a final look at his family. Matt stood halfway up the stairs, he glanced at his parents sitting on the couch in his family room and his brother in a chair to the left of them. He took a mental snapshot of them; while Matt began to finish his hike up the stairs, he realized how truly happy and grateful he should feel. He thought that if that image was the last thing he ever saw he would have no objections. That night Matt laid in his bed, motionless, and reflected on his life. Ironically, it started to storm outside. Before Matt closed his eyes, he decided that if that day was the last day he ever lived he would truly be satisfied with his life. Seconds later, Matt closed his eyes for the final time; his spirit disappeared into the night and dwindled through the storm. Matt Barnes was truly at peace for the final time.