So, what does life mean to me? Isn't this the way you'd start a college application essay? And trust me, this isn't an essay, it's my life. It isn't extraordinary or passionate in any way, shape or form. It isn't this glamorous lifestyle of parties and red carpet functions, nor is it a fabricated illusion. Still, I feel compelled to share it with you. This story isn't that interesting, or original. It just started with me.
There's a boy in my story, but he isn't the most fabulous person who walked the Earth, nor is he someone you could essentially call romantic. He's just a normal, if not slightly boring boy I grew up with. I didn't essentially grow up with him, I grew up knowing who he was. And the girl (that's me) isn't an enchanting beauty with legs for days and hair the colour of sunshine, but someone who is just lucky enough to be with the most amazing person in her world. They're just an average girl and a dorky boy who grew up together and fell in love. But like all tragic, and hopeless love stories, this one hasn't really ended yet, it feels like its just beginning.
You're probably wondering who the hell I am, and what in the hell I'm talking about, and I suppose now that I've committed to telling you this story, you deserve to know who I am. My name is Dakota Emily Reed. My twin brother, Fulton and I were born in Stillwater, Minnesota on 30 August, 1978. We grew up in very different worlds. I started Ballet when I was six, Fulton started hockey when he was eleven, and we went from there. When we were eight, our family moved to Minneapolis, where we've been to this day. The boy in this story grew up literally down the street from Minneapolis. Which is where my brother and I spent most of our time up until we graduated high school.
That is until the morning of June 4, 1998. That morning, the boy and I parted ways and went to college, which literally took us to separate ends of the country. And my brother got a scholarship to the University of Minnesota, and from there, he now plays professional hockey for Minnesota Wild, under the direction of Jacques Lemaire. But this isn't about my brother's fabulous booming career, it's about this boy.
In the years since that June day, I lived my life like my parents had planned. I went to college (Stanford University, thank you very much), and earned a bachelor and masters degrees in emergency medicine. I did the usual college thing (except join a sorority. Gag me) and lived my life unaware of most things going on around me. Then, I graduated. I was headed back to Minnesota, where funnily enough, the boy was going to be.
So now I sit staring at my computer and feel obliged to tell you a story that will take me on a rollercoaster of emotions. Happiness, sadness, anger, depression, pain, heartbreak. So, I shall begin to tell my story with telling you that life is short. Don't waste a minute that could be your last.