Twitters and Instagrams filled up with pictures and quotes and people expressing their sadness over the loss of a man who brought so much laughter into so many people's lives. But they also filled up with something else.
They filled up with messages of hope.
Messages of people sharing their own stories of managing depression and choosing to live. Messages of people urging others to get help if they felt like taking their own life, promising that someone would miss them and the world wouldn't be better without them, no matter how strongly they felt that way. "Your life matters" started trending on twitter within an hour of the story breaking.
Why do we wait for something so tragic to happen to tell people their life matters?
Yes, when depression and suicide are brought to light by a high profile tragedy, it's a great opportunity to tell people they're not alone and that their life matters. But so is a Tuesday afternoon.
When the ugliness of depression rears it's head in such a public way, it's easy to respond. It's easy to post something on twitter and tell people you love them and they are wanted, because you know that everyone else is also sitting in the wake of a sad event.
But is that maybe waiting a little too long?
Do not wait for death to show its face before you choose to celebrate life.
Don't wait for tragedy to motivate you into telling people you love them and that they matter. Tell them every chance you get. If you have a story that could help others, share it now. Celebrate the lives of those around you. Celebrate just how wonderful it is to be alive.
Don't wait for death. Celebrate life now.
