• by Cory Treffiletti , Featured Contributor, April 17, 2013

I woke up sad today.

I love what I do for a living.  I love my family: my wife, my sons, my sister, my parents.  I love my life and the people I have in it.  I love my job and I love writing for Mediapost.  I love being challenged with ideas, and being able to openly express my points of view a for others to respond to in this kind of forum. 

I don’t love it when things happen like what happened on Monday in Boston.

Whenever events like this occur, whether it be in Oklahoma, Connecticut or Boston I find myself reflecting now more than when I was younger.   When you have children, you feel a sense of attachment to the world around you -- more so than when you’re young, life is untethered and the road ahead is vast and open.   That sense of belonging is a good feeling, one that lends weight and comfort to your life because you always know you have a place to go home to.

When a tragic event like this takes place, one of the first things we do is rush to the Internet for more information and to be a part of that community.  My first destination was CNN.com to see what news was actually taking place.  My second destination was Facebook, to see the reactions of people I know.  I saw posts from people who are a part of my life, whether immediate or somewhat removed due to the passage of time, some of whom lived in Boston and were directly affected.  The rush of postings from people who were near the blasts or were in proximity to hear them overwhelmed me.  Everyone I knew was safe and they had a home to go home to, but unfortunately that was not the case for everyone in Boston on Monday. Some people will never be able to go home  again.

In the wake of events like this, full of senseless violence and hate, we all should take a deep breathe and be thankful for the people around us.  I was flying on Monday, and the TSA people, who typically are on the receiving end of angst and frustration from travelers, were being treated with smiles and respect..  It’s unfortunate that it takes a horrible occurrence to remind us how much we should appreciate every day -- and every encounter -- that we have.

I know this column is typically a place to talk about digital marketing, but the only topic I had today was community. I think of the people who make our lives what they are, and even the people who would dream up an event such as this.  Everyone of them has the ability, however large or small, to affect a community of people. If I take anything away from a day like Monday -- a day that is filled with tragedy -- it's that we should all take a moment to harness those feelings and reinvest that anger into re-engaging with a community.  Whether it be your community of friends and family or the community where you live, or any other one that provides you with a sense of attachment, appreciate that you have that community to latch onto and take comfort in the feelings they create.

If you don’t take this opportunity to find something positive, then whoever planted those bombs, brandished that knife, bought that gun or planned that attack will have had a far greater impact than they originally thought. They will have won.  None of us  wants that, ever.