It’s hard for me to wrap my head around the events that have happened this past week, and still continue to unravel this morning. Maybe I’m naive, but it baffles me that there are people who would intentionally hurt, let alone kill, another person.

As I was watching the news at 5:30 this morning I thought, “what if a tragic event like this happened here in Buffalo?”. It really shook me up. So often we get stuck in an, “Oh, it could never happen to me” mentality. That’s the scary part though, because it can.

You think you have time – to say “I love you,” catch up with old friends, read that book, take that road trip, send that love letter, chase that dream. But don’t be fooled; time is completely out of our control and you never know when you or someone you love may run out of it.

Let the fear ignite a fire within you, a passion to go out and do what you’ve always wanted, even in the simplest of ways. 

The world can be chaotic, hurtful, confusing and ruthless. It is also balanced, however, and often shows us beauty, compassion, grit and tenacity. It’s up to you to choose not only how you want to view the world, but also the way in which you participate in it.

“Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else. Something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn’t. You take certain things for granted, even when you know you should never take anything for granted. A tension of opposites, like a pull on a rubber band. And most of us live somewhere in the middle.” “Sounds like a wrestling match,” I say. “A wrestling match.” He laughs. “Yes, you could describe life that way.” “So which side wins?” I ask. “Which side wins?” He smiles at me, the crinkled eyes, the crooked teeth. “Love wins. Love always wins.”

– Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie

If today were your last day, would you be happy with how you spent your time?