I went to an Olly Murs concert on Friday (side-note: it was amazing). His album is titled “Right Place Right Time” and he has a song with the same title. In his introduction for the song he says that he chose this name because he feels like everything that has happened in his career has happened at the right place and the right time. That’s a little hard for me to wrap my head around because, in my mind, life doesn’t usually work that way.

I did a little research and found out that before Olly went to audition on the X Factor he was actually a semi-pro football (soccer) player whose career was tragically cut short by a sudden injury. I’m sure at that moment nothing felt right. The amazing thing is that he was able to move past that. I found out that the singing thing didn’t exactly  happen over night for him, it took him three auditions before he actually was chosen to be on the X Factor. After all of that, he ended up coming in second on the show and his career took off. He went from being an injured soccer player in the UK to standing up on a stage in Maryland in front of a sold out crowd that was going wild.

Today I had a “right place right time” moment. I think that’s how they come, in fleeting moments. I am almost done my freshman year of college, so I feel like I have reached a mini-milestone. This year hasn’t been easy by any stretch of the imagination. As with anything else, there have been a bunch of highs and lows, but I’ve realized that they are what shape the journey. Most of the time I’m too worried about things not going right on a small scale that I ignore the fabulous big picture that is being unveiled right in front of me. There are moments when I step back and realize that every situation, whether it has gone my way or not, is leading to an amazing final product. In the thick of it, that seems like an impossible idea, but if I allow myself to grow from these situations I know that amazing things can happen.

My advice, for myself and anyone else reading this is: don’t get lost in the lows. Hold on to the “right place right time” moments for when it gets rough. I know, it’s easier said than done, but if you’re ever in doubt there’s a song that you can listen to.

So many of us wonder about what we can do to make things better. We often feel so far away and even helpless. Maybe we’re overlooking the amazing things that can be done from right where we are. The people of Boston are in desperate need of our prayers right now. They need to know that we’re behind them. Anyone who was on Twitter Monday knows that this is exactly what happened. “#PrayForBoston” trended for hours. People from all over the world were using social media to give their support to those who were affected. Never underestimate the power of prayer, or social media for that matter.

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.

Our work is not done. Good hasn’t lost, so let’s not act like it has. It is up to us to do everything in our power to prove that it isn’t true. People of Boston, our thoughts and prayers are with you. People of the world, it’s our time to show evil who’s boss.

This blog post is dedicated to those who tragically lost their lives as a result of the explosions at the Boston Marathon on Monday. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has been affected. God Bless.