posted on September 8, 2019 by Al Bell
And Suddenly…
Hi friend! How are you managing life? I hope you’re encouraged to go on as life will always present situations that force us to reaffirm our drive to exist.
When this happens we must reevaluate what’s important and always pursue to be better examples.
I bring this to light because I experienced such a situation within the past couple of weeks which caused pause. Let me explain.
So the day started off as normal. Early and off to the grind(work). A few hours pass and I am swamped with emails. Noon arrives and I am thinking of passion(blog) related strategies. Shortly after, I receive a call from a friend I very rarely receive a call from. I answer. We make the usual Hi and What’s going on greetings. He asks the question “have you heard?” which forces nervous anticipation for the worse. I stated, “No”. He then proceeds to share that one of our friends has passed away suddenly.
I must admit I was stunned a bit when he shared the news, especially since we all just a couple of days ago engaged in pleasant group chat.
Suddenly, I went back to all the times we had laughed at jokes, talked about concerns, disputed issues, and smiled when we passed each other in the hall.
This especially grabbed my attention since it was my friends’ wife who I have known for over 20 years. Empathy took over as I placed myself in his shoes. I immediately felt the loss and pain. To be with someone for over 30 years, one is sure to be connected and feel a loss.
The loss reassured me that each day is not promised and reminded me of the importance to make each day count by investing toward the best in others whether that be an encouraging word, smile, or a helpful action.
That being said, I share a few unselfish engagement points that encourage positive self-development while providing a fruitful investment in others.
- Provide a daily smile
- Compliment when you can
- Minimize the negative/sinic thoughts
- Offer help when you can
- View each day as a New start/Fresh Opportunity/Renewed Cause with anyone
This is definitely not a complete list so please offer others as a comment below.
My hope is that by engaging with others through these points some sort of solace can be made out of an otherwise breath-taking situation.
Below, I have provided a few links to sources offering helpful options for one pressing through.
Credits- Pixabay Photos
https://www.inc.com/amy-morin/how-to-cope-with-grief-during-the-holidays.html
https://www.self.com/story/dealing-with-grief-during-the-holidays
Have you connected with me on Instagram(IGTv)? There, I share encouraging life quotes and comments in addition to promoting physical fitness routines. I provide Blogger shout outs too.
So sorry to hear about your friend. Always good to remember not to take life for granted and to try to be positive and encouraging as much as possible.
Thank you! 🙂your comment is well taken. You are so right…not to be taken for granted.
So sorry to hear and thank you for shedding light even during this difficult time for you.
Thanks for your thoughts. Quite humbling experience. 😞
I’m sorry to hear this. At the end of July, a girl I was pretty good friends with in middle school and some of high school passed away suddenly at 32. Even though I hadn’t seen her since graduation, it hit me really hard because there was a time when we were close. I still find myself thinking about her and her family often. Sometimes it gives me a lot of anxiety thinking about my own mortality, but at the same time it really helps keep things in perspective for me when I lose sight of what’s important. These things are always so damn hard.
Yes definitely a humbling and attention getting situation. Although we know that time must come for all it is sometimes hard to face especially when you may have just talked with that person. Thanks for sharing your experience.