A Lesson From The Aurora Tragedy

  Posted on July 21, 2012  by Joy of Living  No comments

So much has been written about the tragedy in Aurora CO.  This latest tragedy was a reminder to me to embrace life as dogs and cats do….they don’t obsess about what’s already happened, don’t worry about the future, but rather live in the day…better yet, in the moment.

That’s what the victims were doing…..seeing a movie and having fun, something many of us don’t do nearly enough.  One of the victims, 25 year old Jessica Ghawi, narrowly escaped injury during the shooting spree in Toronto a little more than a month ago.  After that, she had a greater appreciation of life and how quickly it can slip away.  In an interview last night, Jessica’s mother spoke of her daughter’s increased enthusiasm for life, and how Jessica had an eerie feeling she couldn’t shake after Toronto.

I had a wake-up call of my own a few years ago that prompted me to make a career change after 30 years with the same company.  I vowed if I came through everything okay that I would appreciate life more, and make the most of my time here.  Although it’s not been an easy road since I made the change, it was definitely the right thing to do!

So what I would say is to go out today and do something fun, maybe something you’ve been wanting to do for a while but pushed aside for something you felt you needed to do.  Ask yourself if the “has-to” task will matter in a year, in five years, ever?

Enjoy yourself, that’s what the Aurora victims were doing before it was cruelly cut short.  It’s always terrible when lives are cut short so senselessly, but their last hours were spent doing something they loved, watching the Bat Man.