Reflections On My Perfect Bubble

At one time or another, we all feel like we have it so rough.  Whether it's money worries or just daily drama, there seems to always be something to stress over.  If these are the worst of our problems, we have it pretty good.  I have an amazing husband, a precious daughter, a great job I enjoy, and a roof over my head.  As per usual for me and my introspective self, I have been revisiting memories of where I was nine years ago on this day.  I do that every year, and it humbles me every time.  I was 18 years old, brand new freshman at OU, and loving the college life.  It was a Tuesday.  I remember this because it was the only weekday I got to sleep in.  I didn't have to be at my Chemistry Lab class until 11:00, so I took my time getting ready.  No tv, no radio...just enjoying the quiet because my roommate had already left for her class.  I left my dorm room and walked down to the elevators where another girl was also waiting.  She started asking me things that made no sense to me like what did I think about what was going on and was I as afraid as she was.  Huh?  I mumbled a polite response and was relieved when the elevator arrived.  Once downstairs, I walked by groups of students talking seriously about something.  I just minded my business and kept walking along.  My lab group  met in the library on Tuesdays for discussion, so I was walking through the South Oval when my confusion was amplified.  Why in the world had someone rolled huge tv's out onto the South Oval with extension cords running all over the place?  I couldn't help my curiosity, so I joined a group at the nearest tv to see what all of the fuss was about.  The devastating scenes on the screen were hard to process.  The only acts of terrorism I'd ever known were domestic ones.  These were foreigners that I didn't understand with methods that were just unreal.  One of the unfortunate side effects of getting older is losing your innocence.  A piece of mine left me that day, but in it's place was an awareness that I still feel.  The world is smaller than I used to imagine it, and there are some things I will just never understand.  I hope that as Mia gets older, she will remember that even when tragedies occur, she will have her family with her.  I don't want her to know confusion, fear, and grief, but when it happens, Wesley and I will be there to love her through it.  We have to remember that there is more out there than what lies inside our perfect little bubble that we call our lives.