As of yesterday I said I wasn’t going to write about death, and the incidences of the past week of learning how a fellow blogger had passed away.
But then this evening, after witnessing her ceremony, and then coming home, and hours later hearing about another death. My mind is in a bit of a boggle right now.
I tend to not talk about the deep stuff around here. I often times just want to keep my blog positive, happy, but sometimes things happen in life, and they just affect you.
Take Sidney Patrick, passed away at the age of 42. She was so nice and welcoming to every person she met, and wanted to see everyone go someplace, and was supportive of others. She was witty, sassy, and people found her funny… Well, because she was!
But at only 42, far too young to pass. She made a lasting impression on my life, and one I will forever be thankful for.
And then the news I received tonight about a former colleague. He was a person who had a great personality, friends with a ton of people, but yet, I learned, he passed away due to suicide. This breaks my heart more than anything.
When life gets so tough, so down, I honestly believe suicide should not happen. I don’t believe in it, and it breaks my heart when a person is so low they feel that’s their only hope of getting out of their situation, whatever may be going on in their life. Things do turn around, things do get better. There will be hard times for awhile, but it eventually fades away.
So, it goes along with the theme of the day: Take the time to listen to people. Stop for a minute, and acknowledge those around you. If a person posted something in your forums, they’re looking for an answer, take the time to talk to them, to answer them. If a person tweets out to you on twitter, take the time to respond back, or if a person takes the time to call you, call them back. You never know, at that moment in time, they could be the lowest of lows, but all of a sudden, one phone call may be just what they need to turn it all around.
We all have our stories. We all have our many layers to us, and even today sitting in a room full of people I didn’t know sharing facets of ones life, it makes me realize how much we truly don’t know about the people around us, or their stories. So listen, reach out, and be kind to those around you. If we live without judgment our lives are so much better. If we become selfless, even better.
But, for me, take the time to give out a hug, make a phone call, or connect with someone who you haven’t connected to in awhile because those people need to know what they mean to you.
