With news of the world’s unfortunate events and disasters around us I often wonder who is knocking at our door? Is it death? Or is it an opportunity for life? What I mean by that, is seeing someone else’s life fade or be completely destroyed an opportunity to do something greater with our own? Immediately after learning of a death or misfortune of someone, I reflect on my own life. What type of person am I?

How would the people around me remember me? Who would attend my funeral? Would I be missed? At that moment, I hit the ground running promising myself I will be a better person and I’ll do better. I’ll smile at the Wal-Mart cashier as she throws my items into a bag, double charges me for toilet paper and slaps the receipt into my hand. I will wave at the person who cuts me off in traffic or who doesn’t give the correct signal for making a turn. When the drive-thru attendant asks me to repeat my food order four times and it is incorrect when I pay for it, I’ll just say “thank you and I love what you’ve done with your hair”.

I will tip the waiter two extra dollars even when my food is under cooked or a fly is sunbathing on top of my baked potato. All of us have the tools to be a great person. I do not mean great as in a powerful leader, someone who can cure cancer or Tony the Tiger but great as in helping our neighbor, holding the door for the elderly, loving someone who has never been loved before or putting out extra food for the dog that eats your garbage.

Maybe we should all reflect daily on how we treat people or the world and realize that we do not receive crowns in Heaven by saying hurtful things, throwing trash on the ground or not returning our friends or grandparents phone call. We get them by not being selfish or rude. Life is short but I bet it can be much sweeter if we do more right than wrong.