I remember vividly when the movie Jaws came out. I was 11 years old and forbidden to see it. What was this monster that held humanity—including my parents—in shock and awe? So began my lifelong fascination with the big fish with teeth, the shark. When most girls had posters of Scott Baio and the Cassidy brothers in their rooms, I had posters of sharks posed with mouths agape, fleshy strips hanging from their teeth. Was there anything more amazing? When I came to Texas to go to college, I found a new love that became a willing mistress to my shark adoration, the sport of diving.

From the ‘80s to the ‘90s I became a dive addict, hitting California, the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico on every vacation. My first live shark encounter took place in San Diego in the late ‘80s. A school of leopard sharks came into the shallows and swam all around us as we splashed around at the beach in La Jolla. Leopard sharks are about five feet long and harmless, but it was still a thrill to look down in the water and see them swimming effortlessly around my feet. As their name suggests, they have a mottled pattern on their backs, making them easy to see against the sea floor. I was amazed at how gracefully they swam through the water, seemingly oblivious to the waves and currents.

In 2001, I was diagnosed with cancer. The C word. Death sentence. I was diagnosed early and made a full recovery. But I was reminded that every day is a gift and should be lived to its fullest. You don’t get a dress rehearsal in life. After my cancer therapy ended, I took my money out of savings and decided to go on the trip of a lifetime. After a lot of research and interviewing, I knew I wanted to go to Micronesia. This archipelago of islands is located near Australia and is mostly known only to divers. The island of Palau became my homing beacon as I packed up, took a 3-week sabbatical from work and prepared to visit an area of the world which Jacques Cousteau and James Michener have both called the most beautiful place on earth.

It took a day of flying to get to Palau. I arrived at 11 p.m., a full day after leaving Texas. English is the official language of Palau and the American dollar its official currency, but streetlights and names are rare. I have no idea how the van driver got me to my hotel. When I was awakened the next morning at 8 a.m., I was ready to go. The first dive of the day was less than an hour away. By boat, we jetted through the twisty maze of mushroom-shaped rock islands for which Palau is famous. I don’t even know how to describe the water to do it justice. I have never seen that color blue. Dolphins swam along the prow of our boat as we headed to one of the most famous dive sites in the world, a place called Blue Corner. Located at the edge of the Palau coral atoll, the sea floor drops from 40 feet to 1000 feet into the abyss. It truly is the edge of the world.

The first dive … how amazing it was! Swarms of tropical fish engulfed us as we swam along the reef. I have never seen colors on land to rival the colors of the rock, fish and coral of the South Pacific. We had reef hooks that enabled us to latch onto the underside of the reef and be buoyed up by the current. It was like being a marine balloon. When I had accustomed myself to this miracle of flying underwater, I couldn’t believe my eyes. There were more sharks than I had ever seen in my life, swimming in front of me as if they were in a pageant. Sharks are truly the most graceful creatures I have ever witnessed. While the current bobbed us up and down like corks, these amazing fish floated by effortlessly. There were also schools of barracuda, manta rays, dolphins, sea turtles and Napoleon wrasse. I don’t think I will ever see anything as amazing again as long as I live. I spent three weeks in Palau and completed more than 50 dives. The people of Palau are some of the friendliest on earth, and I made a lot of friends. It was the best trip I have ever taken, the best time I have ever had. I lived a lifetime on that trip, which came about through a brush with death. And that gets me to the point of this story …

In the rush of everyday living, never, ever forget that time is precious and there are no repeats.  And remember to live everyday of your life.