I, like the rest of the world, am devastated about the news of yesterday’s tragic helicopter crash. Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven other people–including other same-family pairs–all perished in the crash. When I tell you that I have no words for this…I. Have. No. Words. I have spent most of the day vacillating between tears and denial. I just can’t process. My heart breaks for all of the families who lost loved ones. No one should have to bury their child. No one should have to bury their child and their spouse (and grandchild, etc.) at the same time. I literally can’t fathom the pain being felt by the affected families at this very moment. And so, for that and more, I cry.
I also cry at the thought of lives cut short prematurely. 41. 13. There were three young girls onboard. Dreams never realized. Potential never reached. Lives not touched.
Loss–particularly sudden and premature–leads most to deep self-reflection. Accordingly, I kept coming across these common refrains in well-meaning posts: “the fragility of life”; “tomorrow’s not promised”; “the present is a gift”…and all of the other clichés people offer up in times like this. Trite as they might seem, they indeed point to one uncompromising fact: we are indeed not guaranteed tomorrow.
If we were to really accept that as a universal truth, how would that look?
Love. Hard. And make sure the ones you love know.
Forgive. Fast. (PS: forgiveness ≠ reconciliation)
Make the most of the 24 hours you have. (we all have the same amount)
Live. Fully and fearlessly. Pursue purpose; chase dreams; make an impact…daily.
At the end of life–whenever that is for me–I want to know that I have lived in such a way that God will say “well done, thy good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21). The rest of that scripture goes on to say, “You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.”
Can I be honest?
Today. Right now…I am not feeling all that good about my prospects of hearing the above. For a myriad of reasons (or excuses…same-same).
And, sadly, tragic events such as this shine a spotlight on that reality for many. Myself included.
No time for fear. No time for playing small. No time for waiting “until” (until…a title, a debt is cleared, a kid is in school, a kid is out of school, a Monday, a first of the month, a first of the year, a “any arbitrary date to which we choose to delay our dreams”).
Find your purpose. Pursue it fervently.
Period.
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