From the very first time I conceived of this column through its inception, I had one goal in mind and that was to inspire. The column is now five years old, which translates to roughly 120 stories. Tales of miracles, mysteries and wonderment all written to give people hope.
It didn’t matter if I was sharing a story about the act of selfless love when a man gave his kidney to a complete stranger, or if I was talking about a deeply personal experience like the mysteries surrounding my mother’s death. When I look back on the stories, I notice that they all have one common theme.
Every Action has an Equal and Opposite Reaction. This is the third of Sir Isaac Newton’s laws of physics. Simply put, connection. We are all connected, everything is connected and everything you do has an effect on everybody else.
Don’t believe me? Let me prove it. Consider something as bad as the COVID-19 virus. It is hard to fathom something good coming from it. After all, it has caused the deaths of thousands, and ill health of millions of people around the world, not to mention that entire economies are shutting down. What could possibly be an equal and opposite reaction from something so bad?
According to USA Today, “Since social distancing practices have been enacted across the U.S., cities are showing decreased air pollution. Using emissions-detecting satellite images, the New York Times reported ‘huge declines in pollution over major metropolitan areas, including Los Angeles, Seattle, New York, Chicago and Atlanta.’”
And according to thenewstribune.com, the people of India are reporting that they are seeing the Himalayan mountains for the first time in 30 years. Venice water canals are clear again and wildlife has retaken the land in places like Yosemite National Park. All this because of the decline in land, sea and air travel that creates fossil fuel emissions.
Due to social distancing laws that have gone into effect all over the world, families have gathered around the dinner table to homemade meals and people are slowing down long enough to stop and smell the proverbial roses. Some people have gained new hobbies like reading, crocheting and some are even growing their own gardens.
Yes, even the Coronavirus can prove Newton’s third law of Physics, but this is not said to imply that there is a silver lining to this virus. When lives are in peril there can be no silver lining.
I am just using this as an example to show you that virtually everything can teach us a lesson in how we are all connected. Chances are that the climate changes we are seeing will not last. After all, in order for there to be long lasting effects we have to make permanent changes. However, the optimist in me hopes that some of the changes we are making stick around.
Which brings me to the whole purpose of this column- inspiration. For the first time in my five years of writing “Life is Mysterious” I am asking you to help me finish this story.
In order to do that, please take a few minutes to think of something that might not have been that pleasant. Maybe a time in history that challenged us as a nation or perhaps a personal tragedy that happened to you. Now, I want you to think of something good that came out of it.
Impossible you say? Well, I will go first. My mother was 49 when she died of lung cancer. Too young to die. I was 25 at the time and found out I was pregnant with my third child mere hours before she died. The last words she heard were me whispering in her ear that I was pregnant.
It is a very sad story and one that on the surface sounds like there can be nothing positive that could come from it. Yet, my mother’s death at a young age taught me more than any other lesson she ever tried to instill on me. Her death taught me how to live! To never take a single day for granted. It was her final and most important lesson.
With your eyes closed, remember the good that came from the bad and know that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction and the next time someone offers you a frown, give them a smile.
If you train yourself to repay a negative situation with a good one, no one can ever impose a bad thought or action on you ever again.
Now that you have had time to think of your own story, insert the ending here and remember Life is mysterious.
