Oh my goodness, this last week has been such a roller coaster of emotions. I feel like I needed to hide in a corner away from it all…and yet at the same time be connected so strongly to all of it.
It was like my heart was going through a ringer of feelings and I just wanted to come out dry on the other side.
It started with
It was like my heart was going through a ringer of feelings and I just wanted to come out dry on the other side.
It started with
and Mohammad Ali's passing away.
"As the last of the fraternity reaches the heavens," Malcolm X’s daughter tearfully put it…she knew the depth of whom we lost. A boxing champion whose greatest strength came outside of the ring.
In a time where he was shamed for his color, his faith, and his beliefs…Muhammad Ali stood strong. And he did it because he knew it was the right thing to do. It didn’t matter if it stripped him from his honor with the championships he won…he knew his greatest reward was not with the people, but with the Divine.
Watching his memorial made me reflect on so much…in the deepest way, how I wanted to live my own life. What would it mean to live life purposefully? To live un-apologetically from the sincerest of intentions? To make every breath count?
See death is a truth, a reality you will face.
And the other truth?
Your life, RIGHT NOW.
But are you living your life, or dying your life?
I sat with that and wondered what it would be like if I knew I was going to die tomorrow? I wish I could say something profound came up but truthfully...
A part of me actually didn't even know.
And that in it of itself made me wonder if I had succumb to living in such a dull state.
What did I believe in?
Who was I living for?
Was I really living?
This needed some space and reflection but alas as death can be, unexpectedly there wasn’t time. The horrific shooting in Orlando happened, and that rocked my world.
Here I was reflecting on how somebody had lived his life to its fullest. And then in one evening 50 people lost their lives without any forewarning. Their lives were cut short. In just one moment.
{Sigh}
So much immense sadness for these young souls and their families and loved ones.
{Deep sigh}
Words escaped me and I just didn’t know what to think anymore. Social media, as typical, was flooded with so much. Lots of support to give solace but then too much other stuff. There was no time to process before things became politicized and heated.
I felt drained.
I wished for one moment, we could be humans.
Real people, with real feelings.
That when someone dies, we feel it. No matter who it is or where it is.
My heart needed to process, to feel the depth of feeling immense sadness.
My brain was trying to answer all sorts of questions as it often likes to do, however, the real truth comes from the heart. And as I processed my feelings, the truth was clear…
Humanity still exists.
Humanity hasn’t died no matter what it seems like.
Every person is yearning to be seen and loved. And that is what we need more of.
So I am here to tell you --
I SEE YOU.
You -- not a definition of you.
Just YOU.
My heart goes out to the family and the lovers of Mohammad Ali.
My heart goes out to those who lost their lives in Orlando, their families and loved ones.
My heart goes out to the souls I never met but there life was taken senselessly.
Every human loss is a loss, and I grieve that. One day we will experience the same.
So I leave you to wonder…
What is one thing you could do to start living your life? Today. NOW.
Share your desire in the comments below and let’s make it real, before it’s too late. I believe that all the souls departed would have wished the same.
With deep love,
Shazia