Last week, as a man was stepping off a New York subway car after, I was stepping on a subway car a few miles away.

Oblivious to the chaos and terror happening nearby, I settled into my seat, put in my earbuds and queued up an audio book. I was riding from my 27-year-old son含羞草研究社檚 Brooklyn apartment to Union Square, where he would head to a medical facility for a daily round of radiation as he fights lymphoma.

My plans were more pleasant 含羞草研究社� visit a bakery for rugelach and a cup of tea and then leisurely browse through Barnes and Nobles含羞草研究社� flagship Union Square store.

About the time I made it to the third floor of the store, my phone began to buzz as texts from family members began to pour in.

含羞草研究社淵ou guys good?含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淒id you take an Uber today?含羞草研究社�

Odd, I thought, but considering my son is undergoing cancer treatments, not crazy.

I responded with, 含羞草研究社淲e are good.含羞草研究社�

Finally my dad says, 含羞草研究社淵ou are aware of the people shot on the subway and some sort of explosive devices found?含羞草研究社�

My response was a simple, 含羞草研究社淣ope.含羞草研究社� I was still oblivious.

Focused on the trials in my own world and looking forward to the pleasant diversion of good food and an hour in a book store, I had no idea that but for the gunman含羞草研究社檚 choice of a different subway train, the last hour of my life含羞草研究社� and maybe my entire future 含羞草研究社� could have been altered drastically.

When I exited the bookstore, the landscape had changed.

There was now a visible police presence as the manhunt was on for the gunman who was responsible for shooting 10 people and the injuries of at least another dozen people. On the subway ride home, people were more alert, looking for anything that appeared suspicious.

It含羞草研究社檚 easy to get focused on what is happening in our own lives, in the here and now, and remain oblivious to the suffering and tragedies surrounding us.

Sometimes life hands us something to shake us up a bit 含羞草研究社� a close call, a health scare, a near tragedy, a war on another shore.

As we are thankful that we have escaped whatever that earthquake was, let it be a reminder that others were not so fortunate, a prompting to resist retreating into an oblivious state and a prod to look for ways to make a difference in the world.

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betsy.kline@castlegarnews.com
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