This article is a hard one to write. Anytime there is tragedy in a close-knit community, everyone feels it. Though I was a mere acquaintance to the victims of the accident on Sunday, October 11, 2015, I still felt the impact of their lives, and the impact of their deaths. I thought I'd share a few thoughts with you.
A Hawaiian proverb states, "never turn your back on the ocean". We all deal with grief and pain differently; some weep, some laugh, some mourn with others, some mourn alone. Some try and run from it. Some turn to other things to cover it. Some try to ignore it and hope it fades over time. As said in The Fault in Our Stars, "that's the thing about pain, it demands to be felt." Never turn your back on the pain because that's when you don't see the next wave coming. That's when you get swept away by the undertow. That's when you underestimate the power of the ocean; the vastness of emotion and grief. Face it, head first. It will hit you, again and again, wave after wave. But, you will see it coming. You will know how to brace yourself against it. You will know how hard it is going to hit. But, you will also see the other side of it. Never turn your back on the ocean because then you will miss the fight. You will miss the part where you get stronger. You will miss the healing that comes with the hurting. You will miss the reward of getting pulled under by the waves, and coming up stronger.
On another note...
Humans are not simply humans; we are all ticking bombs. We don't know when one will go off around us. We don't know when we will go off. We don't know how big the impact will be. We don't get to decide who we will hurt. However, we do get to decide who we let hurt us. We get to decide who is worth the pain, so choose wisely. Surround yourself with people who make this thing called life worth it. Be around people who make you stronger, braver, wiser, smarter, and kinder. Be around people who make it easier to deal with the pain when the world explodes around you. Be around the people who will encourage you to feel the pain. Be around the people who will hold you up when you can't do it by yourself.
Lastly...
Enjoy this opportunity because it won't last forever. The only thing in this life that is constant is change, so prepare yourself. Prepare yourself for tomorrow by enjoying your life today. Don't disregard the joys of today nor borrow worries from tomorrow. The situation you're in, no matter how difficult, is a gift, so treat is as such. That gift that can be taken away in an instant so make the most of whatever it is that you're going through.
