My niece was born last Thursday.

All two pounds, four ounces of her.

I can only assume that little Aryana is a little impatient and was just too eager to enter this world.

She must be a little hard-headed. After all, everyone asked her very nicely to stay inside for at least a few more weeks, but I guess she decided otherwise.

She may have gotten an early start on life, but it is not holding her back. She's a little fighter, and I must say she is the best looking baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. (After all, she is from my family.)

This all serves as a reminder to me that every time I think I am on track and prepared for anything, life never ceases to amaze me.

I guess I should just learn my lesson: Life is just unpredictable.

No matter how much I plan, something spontaneous always throws me for a loop. Sometimes it is for the best, and other times I wonder what kind of test God is putting me through.

But through all that has happened, I have come to realize one thing: I am a very lucky person.

I live a full life. I have great friends and family that would drop anything for me. I am loved by many and there are many that I love. I have not led a perfect life, and everything has not come easy for me. But I am happy and healthy.

What could be better?

So many people take life for granted. They consume themselves with things that don't matter.

We Americans are so lucky to live where we live. Very few Americans starve to death. We are not in constant fear for our lives. We have the luxury of education, and we can be anything we want.

But yet we are selfish and self-absorbed. Most Americans don't seem to care about others. American citizens have more money than most of the people in the world, yet we horde it away for some unknown purpose.

We save and we save and we save for a "rainy day" that never comes.

Meanwhile, people are dying of cancer, AIDS, heart disease and starvation.

Something as little as $20 makes a big deal to those who have nothing.

Two weeks ago, I volunteered for the Student Government Association's annual Big Event. Before we began our projects, our speaker talked to us about volunteer work and how important it is to give back.

Something as simple as trimming an elderly woman's hedges or raking her yard may seem like nothing to you, but it may make a huge impact on her.

Just last Saturday, the March of Dimes held their annual Walk America, a fund-raiser designed to combat premature births, something that now hits home with me.

A pamphlet for the March of Dimes says, "One of every eight babies in the U.S. is born prematurely, some so tiny they can't even cry. If they could, it would be for your help."

When the time comes for all of us to be judged by our makers, don't fall short. Know in your heart that you did everything you could to help out those around you. Know that you weren't selfish, that you thought of others.

You only get one chance at life. Make sure you have no regrets when it ends.

Jennifer Watson is a senior journalism major from Shreveport and serves as associate editor for The Tech Talk. E-mail comments to jdw026@latech.edu.