What do you mean things live on without us?

We’ve all felt this feeling of nostalgia, and definitely confusion. My first realization of -things are about to change- this year, was closing out Paul’s Book Club on State Street. The place I went after my first day of freshman year, after meeting my first class friend. Somewhere I would go when I was excited to learn, wanted to quiet my mind, or needed a warm welcoming smile. Now something new will replace that store, and I’m glad I wont be there to see it. The first game day back this fall, my cousin sent me a picture inside my old college apartment. Rookie mistake; but he politely saved it by saying even though everything looked the same, it was “not as sweet”. Thank you Luke. But it did have me thinking “wow, my apartment is still there, even though I’m not”. I’ve been wondering a lot of things similar to that question lately; and it is a normal reaction to change, things are not how they used to be. It is simply just a part of growing up and learning - experiencing new phases of life.

You could ask this question about a million different things though. I didn’t feel it about high school, but I’m sure people did. I’ve thought about ex-boyfriends and ex-friends... but those are all very shallow experiences of being young and naive; because I can only hope the girls in our apartment love it as much as we did. The biggest questions you ask are when you actually lose someone. How do you live on without them?

The things that actually make you want to scream into the abyss with anger, frustration, and sadness. The situations where you will never get the answer as to “why”. Like for the poor families of the Catholic Elementary School shooting in Minneapolis. Their families have to learn how to move on from something as traumatizing and soul crushing as losing a child. What about for the children who don’t fully understand what happened. The kids who will have to go through a lifetime of therapy to explain what they saw at the age of 6. Or what happened to their brother and sister. And they will never know why. 

I think the worst part about situations like these is the ability to prevent them. To prevent  the 44 school shootings that occured in the year 2025 in the U.S. alone. The obvious lack of surveillance for gun control laws, and refusal for adaptation in screening processes. The inaccessibility for SSRIs for the people who need it; in contrast to the ability and ease for people to obtain their license to kill. The active decision for someone to hurt others, either intentionally or ignorantly. So why does this keep happening? There is an answer to that, but people need to begin to listen. And while I don’t agree with the “an eye for an eye” mentality, I do hope that the simultaneous shootings today in Colorado and Utah, will open up the floor to real human conversation.

But what lingers, what keeps me up at night is not the initial shock of the victims of horrific scenes like this. It’s the thought of the next day. Those families who still have to wake up, and for a split second they might think it was all a dream; then reality sets in, and the pain floods all their senses. But they have to keep going. They have to learn how to live on without their beautiful kids. They have to hold onto the memories they have, but not let that pain crush them entirely. Thats fucking hard. The indescribable and incomparable pain that every parent fears every time their child leaves their arms. Even at 22, it’s on the cons list of having kids; but the pros will always outweigh the cons when it comes to experiencing life to the fullest.

So how do you learn to move on? I have a friend who lost someone very close to them recently. His name was Braun Levi and he was tragically killed by a drunk driver at only 18 years old. His family, friends, and community started a foundation to Live Like Braun, to “love deeply and live every day to the fullest”. Although I never met Braun, I can feel his spirit through each and every person he touched. Their mission is not to move on without him, but to move on while embracing the person that Braun was. To embrace all the happy memories they shared, and to live to create more by carrying his spirit with them. This endurance to keep going has touched millions of people. I think this is one example of a beautiful way to move on. This is the legacy that these people leave, don’t live life in the past, live for the future. I hope that inspires all of you to keep going because life is beautiful, and unfortunately, never quite long enough. 

Also in memory of Iñaki Bascaran and Marko Niketic. May they all rest in peace. 

Donate here for Minneapolis Shooting Relief  (Aug. 28, 2025)

Donate to the Live Like Braun Foundation  (2007-2025) 

Donate to the Marko Niketic Foundation  (2006-2024)

Plant a tree for the Legacy of Iñaki Bascaran  (2000-2020)

Donate here for Evergreen, Colorado Shooting Relief  (Sep.10, 2025)