My View

Random ruminations from your resident curmudgeon...

No smiling dog for this blog. I felt the bear hiding his eyes was more appropriate. It is how I have felt this week.

For those that follow hockey in particular, this summer has been a summer from hell. The tragic and horrific loss of life in our hockey families has shaken us to our foundations. So this week, there will be no economic discussion, no political commentary, no snark from me.

Instead, I invite all of you to take a moment and separate yourself from the frenetic pace of the daily routine and ask, "What is really important?"

Is it the next meeting with a client, the newest electronic gadget to be purchased, the next promotion?

For far too many of our hockey friends, that question has taken on an entirely new and sorrowful dimension over the past few days and months.

But it is not just our hockey family that suffers. Look around and you will find that everyone is carrying a burden or struggling though a tribulation or battling a demon of some kind.

And it is not easy.

Especially when that burden, that sorrow, or that demon is borne alone.

In today's electronically connected society, we have become more disconnected as people, even with those that are in a physical proximity to us. I may "tweet" with a bunch of folks; I can send messages on Facebook or IM: but can I look them in the eye and see the pain they feel when they physically hurt? Do I know when their heart is broken? Do I know them well enough to know when something is not right with their life?

Perhaps the more important, the more fundamental question is, "Do I want to?"

Caring for someone is tough, messy work. And it is work. That is why it is often so easy to keep relationships superficial, at arm's length. Getting involved means seeing another person for the mess they are, and revealing oneself to be quite a mess as well.

The reward for opening yourself up to another and caring for them is priceless and precious. My words cannot adequately describe the joy that is in that type of relationship, but most of you know.

There are now many in our midst that have had that type of relationship ripped away in a tragic instance. The person they cared for is no longer in their life, and there is an indescribable void that for now is being filled with unimaginable heartache. And they will never have another opportunity to share a caring, loving moment with someone who was precious to them.

So my call to you dear friends is simply this:

Take time to care, to love those that are close to you. Look into their eyes and see if they are okay. Walk a little closer to them. Tell them you love them.

Every chance you can.

And that, my friends, is my view.