Today one of my friends posted the question, “Everything happens for a reason, right?” This question stirred up some controversy. I responded that yes, I do believe everything happens for a reason. I used the example of how when I was twenty-six and living in Las Vegas. I thought I had the life; I waitressed four days a week making enough money in those four days to enable me to snowboard the other three days. Sounds great right? Well I went home to Michigan to visit for Christmas and on Christmas Eve while snowboarding on a hill, in Michigan mind you there is such thing as mountains, I broke my shoulder. I was so mad. How could I be victimized like this? I loved my gig, and now I was trapped back in my parents house with no way to support myself. But, during this time I was able to create a strong bond with my 15-year-old sister who was 11 years my junior. Nine months later she was killed in a car accident. I am so grateful for that broken shoulder and the time it allowed me to spend with my sister. 

Ok, so that was a very clear example. Breaking shoulder = bad…Time with Sister = good. But, what about situations when it is not so clear; Child Abuse, Pet Abuse, School Shootings, Decimation of our beautiful Earth and its resources, Terrorism…I could go on but I think you get the point.

What about when there is no obvious purpose for these atrocities?

Well, what if we label its purpose as awareness? It totally sucks that these terrible things have to happen, but now that we are aware we can do our part to support change. A good friend to me once said, "If we are ignoring a problem, it is no different than supporting it." Let’s become aware and do our part to make the world a better place! This request overwhelms most people. They think, “How am I going to help against climate change? I am just one person!” Just doing something as simple as recycling, or becoming an Earth-conscious consumer promotes change. If you are passionate about animals volunteer for a day at a shelter.

Find what you are passionate about and let’s make the world a better place one act at a time!