Today as I was scrolling through my Instagram and saw all of the beautiful tributes to Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, John Altobelli, his wife Keri and daughter Alyssa, Sarah and Payton Chester, Christina Mauser and Ara Zobayan (it is so important that we name them and not just as the ‘other victims’) I happened upon a quote that one of my girlfriends had on her story (thanks Lee) and it said “leaving your home and getting back safely is such an underrated blessing.”
Like so many of us who are still trying to grasp at the reality of these tragic deaths, I have found myself in deep thought, reflective and in search of a greater lesson to be learned from such a tragedy. Yesterday on my own Instagram page I shared my deep sadness at the loss of Kobe and his daughter not so much because of his legend status but that of a husband and father (even as I type that it brings water to my eyes). It is sadness that I PRAY I never bear witness to or experience.
So what is our opportunity in this tragedy? I say this certainly not from the perspective of any gain, but from the perspective how we honour these men, women and children who were ALL seen as legends, mentors, motivators and leaders in their own way. While only Kobe carried that level of stardom, every single one of those victims made their mark. To be remembered in the way they are being celebrated is not based on a good deed or a positive interaction with a few people. No. The imprint these people made on those who had the privilege of knowing them, loving them and working with them was greatly attributed to their purpose on this earth and that was to not only be the greatest but to create the space for others to also be great. The power of inspiration is not anything we should take for granted but really something we should all aspire to create.
The loss of Kobe Bryant and Coach Altobelli and Christina Mauser is so great not only because of what they promoted but what they exemplified in their lives. The power to inspire people to be better and do better and want better and work for better is an underrated blessing – just like the blessing of coming home safely every single day.
If we are to honour these people in the way I believe most of us want to – I ask you what you are willing to do today to make your mark? To inspire greatness? To empower others to want to be better and work harder? One of the things that I have come to realize (and this became that much more profound yesterday) is that my passion, which has become my purpose, is to become my mark. Not for fame. Not for notoriety or legendary status. But for a greater good beyond myself. I am a mother of three children who have so much life to experience and if at the end of my life I have made a permanent imprint on their lives to be better, then I have achieved my own legend status.
This sadness we feel may be because one of the best basketball players has left us FAR TOO SOON, but the grief we feel is because our source of inspiration is no longer on earth. But if Kobe Bryant has achieved what he exemplified in his life as a husband, father and baller, than that mark has been set in all of us and our next step is to imprint our own mark on those around us.
