One of the biggest life altering moments I’ve had was when I learned one of my favorite students had been hit by a car while riding his bike and passed away.
This student, named Jerry, lived his life to the fullest. He treated everyone with kindness, compassion and truly made my life better just by existing. His death was a harsh reminder that our existence is quite short in the grand scheme of things, so spending all my time and energy living a life full of joy, happiness, kindness and compassion was the only choice.
It’s easy to get caught up in things that don’t matter and when I find myself moving in that direction I think of Jerry, which puts a big smile on my face, let it go and move forward.