Today, I heard some terrible news. A man my son's age, a man who'd been a childhood friend of my son's, has died. I baked cookies for this boy. He played in my yard, slept at my house...he existed.
A terribly tragic accident...and a life, hardly lived, is cut short. A wife and children are left husbandless and fatherless. A nation mourns the loss of brave men who were serving their country, and the lives those men touched are changed forever.
We go about our work-a-day world, barely realizing that time is passing, life is happening...until we get some sort of news that stops us in our tracks. Look around. This moment is all we really have. We don't get do-overs. And we're not promised more than the breath we're either inhaling or exhaling at this very moment.
I won't be maudlin. The young man I remember from so long ago, even at that age, had a zest for life. I'm sure he lived life on his terms. Which begs the question...am I? Am I making a difference, or am I merely going through the motions?
Am I striving to appreciate each day? Am I looking at the day as another opportunity to give back, change my outlook, or just be there for someone? Am I learning to be quick to forgive, short on remembering wrongs, and easily accessible when family or friends need me? Am I saying "I love you" to those I do love...so there's no regret of words lost or unspoken should something calamitous happen?
In the end, it's the human, emotional bonds we form that help define the effect we may (or may not) have on another person's life. We may spend a lifetime building an empire, putting our efforts in to making a name for ourselves, or focusing on constructing our idea of a legacy for those left behind.
I'm here to state emphatically that what those who are left will think of is how we...me, you, us collectively or individually, impacted their lives emotionally. Did we give love, approval, acceptance, encouragement, praise, and impact them positively? Or, did we tear away at the foundations they tried to lay with disapproval, criticism, and negativity? We can not change the past...it's already over and done with, so we shouldn't dwell in it. We can't borrow from the future, because we just don't know what the future holds. We need to live in the present...and be present in the here and now. Be aware, focused, and observant.
While we may not always realize it, as long as we're living, breathing, and circulating among the masses, we have the ability to change lives. Even if all we do is offer a smile to a stranger...or a cookie to a teenaged boy, who'll one day go on to give his life in a training drill as he learns to diligently protect our country. It is always, always...about perspective. Live well. Be the difference.
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