Reflections of Explosions

I was 8 years old when the twin towers fell. I remember that day because up until that morning at school, I didn't even know what the twin towers were, and I pretty sure most of the adults in my town didn't either. I remember waiting in the classroom, practicing my times tables (I was nerd back then too) getting ready for our daily quiz because our teacher, Mr. Collins, was unusually late. When he walked in, he walked in somberly, and slowly. Somebody asked "Mr. Collins, why do you look so sad." Then he told us what had happened, and we were called to the gym for an assembly. I didn't understand why anybody could possibly do this, but what I didn't understand even more was why people were blaming Muslims...how could a religion hijack a plane and fly into office buildings in New York? When I got home from school that day, my parents reassured us that we were safe, and my dad made it a specific point to tell us that it was individuals that caused this attack, not a country, not a religion and that it was not a reflection of the world we live in.

Today, while I was studying for my GI physiology test, I had twitter up on my screen. The first tweet I saw was from CNN, "Explosions at Boston Marathon." When I read the word "explosion" I immediately thought of fireworks or firecrackers, because who would set off a bomb at the finish line of a marathon? Within seconds, new tweets came up that replaced the word "explosion" with "bomb" and then one "bomb" became two, injured became dead, pictures of debris in the streets became pictures of blood in the streets...I felt like an 8 year old again, watching in awe as the world exploded.

As the day passed, and as I continued to follow on twitter, I began to see pictures of people helping people, rather than pictures of carnage. Tweets and facebook posts from all over the world showing support for Boston steadily increased, offers for blood donations, restaurants opening their doors and people offering their couches and spare beds to complete strangers began to trend. This is a reflection of the world we live in. A really awful thing happened today because of the choices made by a few select individuals, these choices have changed people's lives and the world forever, much like 9/11. But I choose to see the world as a whole, because the number of good people will always outweigh the bad.

Bombings like this happen almost weekly in other countries, and I am not trying to belittle what has happened to day in Boston, but a bombing in Boston is no more tragic than a bombing in Baghdad. The people of Boston are as strong, generous and kind as the people in Baghdad. So as we mourn and try and reflect on this day, let us remember that people all over the world have felt the same confusion, sadness and loss as we do today and as we did on 9/11.

Let our prayers for Boston resonate throughout the world to all of those affected by senseless attacks on humanity.

"The best is yet to come"

There were (and still are) thundershower warnings for the day, but they weren't supposed to start until about 5. So I figured a 1 hour 15min ride after my nutrition class would get me home in time, but I was a bit worried that I might get caught in the rain. I hummed and hawed for a bit, checked the weather network about 12 times to make sure nothing was changing, and then finally decided to pull my kit on.

BEST DECISION EVER! You are probably thinking something amazing happened during that 40km ride...well, you would be wrong. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, other than I had one of the best rides I have had since the summer. The wind wasn't too strong, it was 20 degrees Celsius out, but not too sunny and it was humid so the air just felt nice. I raced a bus for about 3 km, and won, I did a few hill repeats and it felt great. There wasn't too much traffic out, so I was able to avoid all the rough patches in pot holes in the road and take the smoothest routes across the train tracks.

What made this ride even better was that my ankle didn't hurt so much and my leg felt strong, allowing me to pedal at a higher cadence and a lot smoother than usual. I actually felt like I was flying, not riding a bike. It was just simply an amazing feeling.

I also just came back from an Athletes in Action seminar (an organization that helps your faith to growth through your sport) and the speaker was John Hood. He is a member of the Hamilton Tiger Cats CFL team. He shared with us his personal story and struggle to make it to the pros, and that not everything worked out the way he had planned. Despite having things get in the way of his dream, he just kept at and kept faith that everything was happening as part of a bigger plan. And that everything that happened to him, although it may have been perceived as a set back or negative when it was happening, actually made him a more determined person and changed his life for the better. 

His talk really helped me to see and begin to understand that maybe everything that is happening and happened to me, namely chronic pain, is actually what is shaping my future and may actually be providing me with a path to reach my dreams. Its not the path I mapped out, but its a path that was hidden and waiting for me, and all I need to is have faith and follow that path, taking each opportunity as it comes and making the most of it.

As John Hood said, "The best is yet to come," and I chose to believe that he is right, and I will not stop working towards my dream of becoming a doctor. Whatever gets in my way is only preparing for what has yet to come.

Something to remember

I feel as though this verse applies to everybody, even if you are not a Christian, or if you don't follow any particular religion.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves. Love never fails. -1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

That my friends is what true love is like. As a Christian I believe that true pure love is reserved for Him, but that doesn't mean that I don't think it applies to everything.