A friend of mine, Joe, recently had an accident and injury. As I write this, it has just happened and we don't know the long-term effects, but they may be significant. I am hoping for the best.
But this reminds me that our lives are fragile. We can be changed forever in an instant. Or changed slowly by something over which we have no control. There really isn't any way to protect ourselves from this because this is simply how the world is. Nor should we even try to do so, because all that would mean is that the we'd make ourselves prisoners, and what would be the point of that?
I ride a bicycle a lot. Many of my friends do the same, and many ride much more than I do. Yes, this means that we expose ourselves to more risk, but we do so knowingly, or at least we pretend we know. But of course, anyone who lives is susceptible to having some sort of life-changing event that they don't want. Anyone can get sick or hit by a car, or know someone who does. We can't completely shelter ourselves from danger.
What we can do is live our lives. We can love ourselves and those around us. If we enjoy this world even with all its faults, then we can work to make it more enjoyable for those around us.
There really doesn't seem to be a lot more than that. Maybe someone knows more, but I think that, if you start with loving yourself and do things that truly make you happy (you know what I'm talking about), then you can start to do the same for others around you. Family, friends. You start with those closest and branch out. Eventually you have made a positive difference in a world that really needs this sort of thing.
