It was a bright Monday morning, and everything seemed to be going as planned. Routines took place, and life was going. I never knew that this day would be a memory that would live with me for the rest of my life.

As the day progressed, it was only normal to gather my self and get into bed at around 7 pm, being that on Tuesday mornings I start my day at 2:30 am. I got into bed and I was fast asleep only to be woken by phone calls. Not one, not two, dozens. Finally, I answered one.

Who could be calling me so profusely on a Monday night? It couldn't be anyone who actually cares because they would know I was fast asleep by now. Little did I know, the voice on the other end of the phone would give me the news that would rock my entire being.

I said, “Hello, is everything alright?” very softly. I was waiting for a, “Hi, Sorry Lex, everything is fine!” but instead I received a, “Are you sitting down?” From there I knew this was not the late night call from my friends that I never wanted to receive. As the news was passed along through my mobile device that my 22-year-old friend had taken her own life, knots formed in my stomach.

I felt a barrage of emotions that were very unwanted. I then sat awake until my alarm went off and proceeded to get ready for work. Even being flooded with emotions not a single one was expressed. Only questions spewed from my mouth. How could such a thing take place and why?

Memories began to play in my head of her smile, and our laughs. This sent me even deeper into this trance I was in. As I arrived at work I still continued feeling numb, and still not really registering what was going on. My phone continued to blow up with hundreds of messages, direct messages on social media and basically any other form of contact.

As time went on I began understanding the reality of the situation. It all seemed to hit me at once. I stopped what I was doing and left work because I couldn’t bear it anymore. I waited for updates regarding procedure and what I could do next. This experience left a vile taste in my mouth.

It opened my eyes to what this world can really be like, truly putting the importance of life into perspective. Some of us don’t stop to think about what others might be experiencing. The grass is not always greener on the other side, and it is so vital that we are cautious and more approachable.

Though we cannot always fix what someone is struggling with we can, sure enough, make a difference just by how we carry ourselves, and how we treat people. After experiencing this I have come to the realization that we are so capable of making a difference. We are in control of so many things. Including how we want our life to pan out.

Reach out to people that you haven’t in a while, or just anyone and check-in. What can hurt about finding out how someone is doing?

Make a difference.