Watching the news yesterday (April 15th, 2013, The Boston Marathon Massacre), I felt a surge of emotion like many others.  Life is short.  I cannot express my immediate thoughts.  They seemed all over the place.  I didn’t know how many people were injured or dead, but did know that many of my friends were there watching.  I, like many others, felt helpless.  Watching the news was not easy at all!  Pictures shown were that of runners, families, young children and groups of friends.  It was mass chaos.  

I needed to get away from the TV and clear my head.  Since I had some errands to run, I decided to take a trip to Target.  I dropped off my daughters at my parents house for a visit.  As I drove out of their driveway, the girls smiled and waved goodbye to me.  I started to cry.  It’s not like that was the moment I realized how precious our time together was, but that moment defined much more for me which I can barely explain.  It was something deeper.  An unexplainable feeling that exists between mother and child.  Something that cannot be seen or heard.  It’s simply internal and strong.

Target was quiet.  There were about 20 customers in the store.  While walking through the isles, every time I heard someone talking, it was about The Boston Marathon bombing.  I quickly moved through each aisle, desperately wanting to get out of there.  I kept imagining the look on my daughters faces as I drove away.  I couldn’t get their beautiful smiles out of my mind as they waved goodbye.  I began thinking it would be the last time I saw them.  At any given moment, we could lose the ones we love.  At any given moment, our lives could end.  It is time to stop thinking about what could be though.  It is time to GENUINELY start living for today and enjoying what we have in front of us.

Yesterday, April 15th, 2013, is proof that something tragic could happen at any given moment.  It should be a catalyst for all of us to start living!  Our lives should be spent doing what we enjoy.  Time with our families should be our first priorities.  Laughing and loving should encompass the majority of our daily lives.  

Yesterday, April 15th, 2013 made me realize how happy I was that I no longer worked at my old company.  I was miserable.  I could not stand how unfairly people were treated. I could not stand the office politics and favoritism.  I could not stand the office bullying.  I could not stand that when we had a surge of business and hired multiple people. Each new face I saw, I felt bad for.  In my heart, I knew that the majority of new faces would be let go the moment business slowed.  I could not stand that they did not realize their jobs may have been short-lived, and that they were being viewed as a number and not as people.

Yesterday, April 15th, 2013 reminded me to start living for me.