“There’s nothing like a funeral to make you feel alive…just open your eyes…and see that life is beautiful” (lyrics from the song “Life is Beautiful” by Sixx: A.M.). As morbid as this sentiment may be, it is also true. It is human nature to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It is also human nature to blow little annoyances out of proportion, until tragedy strikes and we are reminded that there are others in the world that would gladly trade places with us. Yesterday was one of those days for me. Even though I have made a conscious decision to change my mindset, I realize that I am merely a work-in-progress.
My day started out dealing with some difficult people in business-related matters. Later in the day, my wife got a speeding ticket for going 28 in a 20 inside of a school zone. I was annoyed that the cop who gave her the ticket was being very friendly, making small-talk, and touting the fact that our current town was voted in the top places to live by Money magazine (after he found out that she just moved here from New York). I thought that a friendlier gesture would have been to let her off with a warning. On top of all of this, an ongoing issue with a long-time friend was brought to the forefront once again.
None of these things that happened yesterday were earth-shattering. They were just little annoyances that were exaggerated by the fact that they were all happening at the same time – creating a “snowball” effect. Days like yesterday happen without making a lasting impact on anyone’s life. Someone recently told me about a litmus test to use to evaluate how bad something really is in the larger scheme of things – ask yourself how you will feel about what happened five years from now. Will you even remember it? In my case, probably not, but the same cannot be said for everyone’s day yesterday.
While I was dealing with some minor annoyances, 1800 miles away an entire country was having a day that will be remembered for many years to come. It is estimated that one third of the population of Haiti is in need of emergency relief, and as many as 500,000 lives may have been lost (although it is too early to say for sure). For the people of Haiti, and those with close ties to the country, I imagine that yesterday will be remembered the same way that Americans remember 9/11. Haiti was already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere before yesterday’s earthquake. It’s hard to imagine what will become of the country in the wake of this tragic disaster.
In retrospect, my day wasn’t really bad at all. I will not remember anything that happened yesterday five years from now. In all honesty, I probably won’t remember what happened yesterday five months from now.
Sometimes it takes a shocking turn-of-events to put our own lives in perspective and realize that “Life is Beautiful.”
Waldo's Life 