Molly TumanicI remember it as though it happened yesterday. There I was, sitting in The Spectator office, working furiously to finish a page design early so I could salvage enough time to relax for the evening. Then, around 5 p.m., a phone call changed everything.
My roommate told me to see him, explaining that he couldn’t say over the phone the inevitable news that awaited me. After frantically racing back to my room, I discovered my close friend, Christine Rathke, died in a car accident around 1 p.m. back home in Franklin.
Every ounce of stress, every thought of school, even the next story I’d write for the paper evaporated as my heart became heavy. I was broken.
It was that moment I realized further what I wanted to do with my own life. For any normal college student, it’s difficult to find time for others; most of the time we’re too wrapped up in our own lives. Despite this, when a person takes the time to pause in his or her life and do something for someone else, it brings a sense of fulfillment to that busy thing we call life.
After my friend’s tragic death, I realized the true value of life and noticed how so many take it for granted. That’s why I wanted to do something different to make a difference in not only my own life, but the lives of others. It was with this motivation that encouraged me to dedicate my annual basketball tournament in her honor.
Prior to her death, my tournament, dubbed DJ’s Court Tourney, never attracted a major crowd, just a handful of friends at best. After my dedication, the word traveled through my hometown, and support for the cause began to grow as each day passed.
Neighbors helped bake goods for it, the high school gave me the gym for the morning, family and friends donated money, and most importantly, 16 teams of people gathered on July 12 to play in her honor. We raised $550 for her scholarship fund and touched a few hearts.
Ultimately, through this tournament, I accomplished my primary goal – to make a difference.
Granted, this is an extreme example of putting others before oneself, but the concept is still the same. If we find time in our busy lives to think of others, then we can make similar impacts.
Many are highly skeptical of such an approach, and it’s difficult to try and convince them otherwise. Why should a person take away from their own time to make a difference in another person’s life? I know this feeling; I experienced it for years, and it’s unfortunate I had to lose someone close to realize all that I know now.
By putting others before yourself, you display to another person that you care enough to take away from your time to make theirs a little easier, even if it’s only a few seconds.
Whenever I see someone with their hands full, whether it be from material for moving into their dorm or groceries, I’ll drop anything I’m doing and hold a door or two for them. I may never see this person again, but I know I just made their day slightly easier. If you put yourself in their shoes, you know you’d appreciate it if someone did the same.
Now spin the tables a bit. During one of Eau Claire’s major snowstorms, I ended up sliding off of Clairemont Avenue into a snow bank. With snow elevating the front end of my car slightly in the air, I felt defeated. Then, a complete stranger took some time out of his night and helped me shovel my car out.
To this day, I’ve never seen him, but I will always remember the kind act he did for me. It is through these unselfish acts that all of us can live easier, if we just take those precious minutes of our time to help others.
Of course, there are still skeptics that see no reason in believing such an idea. Yeah, it’s true, if we didn’t take time out of our lives, the world would keep spinning. Those people would have found a way to open the door and I would have found a way out of the snow bank. Life can go on either way.
Life, however, is much easier when others take time to make a difference, whether its on a small or large scale. Each of us has this ability, and if we use it, we can all make a difference.
