At church this morning, I sat next to an elderly woman sitting alone. On her other side sat a beautiful Vera Bradley purse. While I am constantly smiling at complete strangers, I'm not typically inclined to actually begin conversations due to my moderate level of shyness. But some voice kept prodding me to talk to this woman. Have you ever had those really out-of-nowhere inclinations that you can't explain? So I complimented her purse. She sounded so appreciative, and then went on a joking rant about how it weighs 100 pounds because she stuffs everything inside (I sympathized). Then mass started. And that was it.
Or was it?
This is just a guess, but my "voice" this morning may have stemmed from a very recent event. The word "event" doesn't seem to fit, actually. But whatever you want to call it, I cannot pretend that I am not utterly horrified by the tragic shooting in Colorado. My heart skipped several beats as I heard the details while sitting in traffic on my way to the Sox game Friday night.
As the traffic jam continued for a good half hour, my mind wandered. Though the two tragedies are very different, I could not help but be reminded of the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999. Yes, I was only a second grader at the time. But I remember that day vividly, though teachers and parents were able to shield many of us from the gory details.
Many years later, I would read a book written by the parents of one of the Columbine victims, a sixteen-year-old girl named Rachel Joy Scott. It is not an overstatement to say that this one book drastically altered the way I view my time here. "Rachel's Tears" features Rachel's own profound journal entries and drawings, many reflecting her intense drive to live a life of compassion. This girl exemplified the mantra "practice what you preach." As expressed in her writings, she always had this strange feeling that she would die young. Her journal would be retrieved from her backpack after her death, a bullet hole piercing the cover. Written on it? "I will not be labeled as average."
I have this theory, that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction of the same; people never know how far a little kindness can go.
-Rachel's Tears
I remember reading an article around the tenth anniversary of the Columbine shooting. It spoke of a "Columbine Generation," referring to those children and adolescents who attended high school during the shooting or anytime later. This generation (that includes me), according to many, is characterized by highly protective parents and anxious school climates. In a way, people would be looking over their shoulders for years to come.
And who can blame us? Take Columbine. Rachel sitting in the courtyard eating her lunch? Dead. Students eating in the cafeteria? Alive. Or the movie theater in Colorado. Some of those sitting in front of the big screen in Aurora? Dead. Those watching Batman ten minutes down the road? Alive.
Cafeteria, courtyard, this movie or that one...whether directly or indirectly, realized or unknown, our "life paths" involve being in the right (or wrong) place at the right (or wrong) time.
But we cannot worry about that.
Heck, someone could have started shooting at the Sox game I attended this weekend. But it's not about scaring anyone. It's about taking the time to reflect on why we're here. What are our dreams? What do we want to give to the world today?
That's the real point. Life is full of everyday activities: eating lunch, watching a movie, doing our best job at work, playing peek-a-boo with the chubby cheeked baby sitting two pews in front. When I hear people tell stories of others who've changed their lives, it is rarely the celebrity. More often than not, it is the parent, the teacher, the stranger, the friend.
We don't need to be Superman or accomplish some feat from another universe. We just need to live intentionally, and create lives that are uniquely ours. Whatever your job, whatever your age, whatever your place in life...do your best and use everyday to do good. No one else can fulfill your special purpose in life. Because there will never, ever be another you.
Just some food for thought on this beautiful Sunday.
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