It's interesting how we
zoom through life, our heads filled with one "emergency"
after another:
"I better not forget to deposit that cheque in
the bank."
"I must remember to call Mr. Jones. He's a
potential client."
"Oh dear! I'm
forgetting to order sympathy flowers for my colleague who lost his wife..."
We face so many of these "emergencies" on any
given day. We attempt to become professional jugglers as we try to
"manage" all of these "priorities". At the end of the day, do we even
remember most of these things that were so "critical"? Is it any wonder
stress is on the rise?
How come it isn't
until a REAL emergency strikes that we begin to realize what REALLY
matters in life!
March 11, 2011 changed the lives of hundreds
of thousands of people living in Japan. Being hit by the most
catastrophic earthquake in Japan's history, measuring 8.9 on the Richter
Scale, followed by a massive 10 meter tsunami and then radiation leakage
from damaged nuclear reactors, many of these poor Japanese people have
been forced to come to terms with what really matters in this world.
One of the stories
that touched my heart involved an eight-month pregnant woman. She was
stuck in Tokyo, 25 kilometers from home. She was desperate to get back
home for two reasons:
1. She wanted to make
sure her husband was still alive
2. She didn't want her
husband to worry about her.
She had forgotten her
cell phone at home that day. Not that it would have helped much, for the
phone lines were perpetually busy. Payphones were out of the question as
well, as long lines of people were waiting to make their desperate
calls. Likewise busses and taxis were not an option, as there were also
long lines waiting for these, and even if she could have boarded a bus,
traffic was at a standstill.
So she did the
impossible, she walked the 25 Km to her home. She made sure to hydrate
herself regularly. At least there were no lines in front of vending
machines! Restrooms were also available by stopping in one of the
numerous office buildings in Tokyo.
It took her seven
hours to reach her goal, and when she arrived, her husband wasn't even
home. He, too, had been far from home when disaster struck, 32 Km to be
exact. Not knowing what had become of his wife, he borrowed a bicycle
and cycled home, arriving thirty minutes after she did. What a happy
reunion that was!
Funny that they weren't worried about their
possessions or the money in their bank accounts. Their to-do lists were
completely forgotten, for the only thing that mattered was finding each
other.
In 1989, San Francisco was hit by a 6.9
earthquake. We had friends in that region, and we, too, discovered that
the only thing that mattered to us was finding our friends.
Unfortunately, they didn't make it.
What will be our
priority when we reach heaven? Will we think about the to-do lists we
left behind? Or will
we wonder why our loved ones aren't there?
What are we going to do
about this?
It's really a question of priority.
Rob Chaffart
