The news of KB’s tragic accident hit the waves and touched millions of folks world-wide. The sudden rapid change of Kobe’s lightning bolt presence on the court disappearing in an instant, forever, was very surreal for everyone including me.

It got me thinking – In a blink….

…. And we go from here to there. Where is there? – is not the question I am even attempting to answer. I will leave it to the religions/faith systems to attempt to answer it for their believers. We all have probably gone through the difficult time when a dear and near one crosses over from here to there. One instant they are here, and in a blink we lose total contact – as if they have disappeared via a worm-hole (or, like the Star Trek transporter) into a different dimension. They are still here with us, but not here. We feel a great discontinuity in our lives, as the variables have now changed.

In a majority of cases (like for both my parents – RIP) we were expecting the cross over event, so the blink did occur – and it was expected. In such cases, it is so much easier to deal with the situation and prepare for the transition event.

The more difficult situation is when a tragic event – typically an accident, or an adverse medical condition removes someone in a blink. It is almost like a conversation is in-process and you blink your eyes and the other person is just plain GONE. You rub your eyes hard, hoping to see them again – but they are no longer here. It is like the center of gravity of a complex situation has changed, and it throws everything off-balance. We all take life for granted, and expect the rhythm to remain undisturbed. One thing we must accept – the only guaranteed event in all our lives is the cross-over/transition event.

Remember that at some point all of us will have to deal with a ‘in a blink’ situation. You might even be the subject matter at the center of it all. Think ahead, about how you want to ensure stability for your near and dear ones, who are still here, while you are there. They will be experiencing tremendous trauma as they realize what has just happened.

My intent of discussing this taboo/dark topic is to make sure, as we go about our very busy cyclic material lives – work-sleep-wake-up-work… with some occasional fun time thrown in – we do live full lives and not postpone important acts/events. So often, we put off for tomorrow tasks we’d love to do today but have artificial priorities driving us on a day-to-day basis. We do not look beyond the tips of our noses, as we prioritize just what is in front of us. Spending quality time regularly with our kids and family – should be at the top of everyone’s must-do tasks. How many of us (moi included) actually plan their time to account for this. For most of us, somehow, work is the most important reason for our existence. Sometimes, we do not even take care of ourselves. We live our infinitesimal lives, believing we are in charge of our destiny, and there will always be a tomorrow, for what needs to be done today.

As you read this, even if I can induce some of you to pay heed to your life around you (your immediate family, your siblings, your parents, your close friends) and live in the moment – I’d feel good about my scribe. Remember ‘in a blink’ things may change and a moment in time lost, is lost forever.