As I received news of the 8.8 earthquake that hit Chile over the weekend, I couldn’t help but to think about the recent earthquake in Haiti as well. I then recalled the tsunami from a few years back. Whenever I see the natural disasters, I think about a few things.

1. Life is short and unpredictable. Every day we should make an effort to be productive and do things that we enjoy because we never know when it could be all over.
2. There is someone greater than us in charge. I mean no matter how us control freaks like to control everything, when a natural disaster strikes, you know that you can’t control what happened. All you can do is deal with the result. So, roll up your sleeves and dig in.
3. People throughout the world are connected. Every natural disaster that has struck has needed the support of other countries in order to rebuild. We are all connected–no matter our language, our country or our customs. Human beings need each other.
4. Everybody has a role to play. Whether its sending $10 to Haiti from your cell phone, or donating $5 to the Red Cross at a telethon or sending toilet paper overseas. Everybody has something that they can do. The person who believes that they can do nothing to help is blinded by his own selfishness.
5. Cherish your life and the people in it. When I see the stories of people who are looking for lost loved ones its heartbreaking. To not know if a loved one is alive or dead must be a painful experience.  So, take the opportunity everyday to show your love for the ones that you do love so the last interaction is always about love.

Those five things are what I think about when I hear about natural disasters. Overall, the natural disasters are saying to us, “Appreciate Your Life, Today! Don’t look for your happiness in a promise of tomorrow because tomorrow is not promised.”

Peace & Love