Last night was the fourth anniversary of 1 October, a night that will not be forgotten in Las Vegas.
Four years ago, I was grading papers that Sunday night. My husband, John, was downtown for a night out. I received a text from him that something bad was happening. I turned on the news. The exact details of that night are blurred at times.
I remember watching the news crews pushed further down Las Vegas Boulevard. Unedited videos were released from the scene of the shootings. Chaos was in full order, but the local Fox station was trying to keep calm. They were careful about how they announced information. Rumors were clearly introduced as such. Information was verified by Metro as the night continued.
My emotions that night were nothing compared to my desire to help the community, to help this city that is my home.
Giving back to the place I call home
The first way to help the community was by showing up to work the next day. Most casinos had locked down and employees were unable to leave until the early hours of the morning. This meant on the morning of Monday, October 2, 2017 I needed to show up for my students. I did my best to provide those students with comfort and a sense of normalcy.
Another easy, yet impactful, way I contributed to my community was through blood donation. John and I both donated blood for the first time that Nevada Day, the last Friday in October. Since then, we try to give blood a few times a year in addition to our annual 1 October donation. It feels good knowing that such a simple action can help someone in need.
This year, the times available at our normal Vitalant donation location did not work well with our daughter’s school schedule. So, we decided to try the blood mobile at City National Arena. Lots of available donation times made the mobile location more ideal.
Our blood donation came with an unknown surprise. We received tickets to that night’s preseason hockey game, Vegas Golden Knights versus the LA Kings. John wanted a relaxing recovery night at home, so I took our daughter to the game.
Enjoying the hockey game
My daughter and I enjoyed our night out at the hockey game. The tickets were for nice seats. We were in the last row of section 11 behind the visitors net. We had a great view of the ice and a wall behind us. The lighting was not great for a selfie with the ice behind us.
The two regular season Golden Knight games I previously attended, were full of energy. This preseason game did not disappoint. Warm up time began with the Golden Belles “distracting” the other team. I love the lips on the masks they wore!
During the game, it was all energy for the Golden Knights. They scored once in each of the first two periods with two goals scored in the third. Those two goals in the same period, mean two free tacos with a ticket stub. Overall, we had a great time together.
Healing through unity
After that tragic day four years ago, the Vegas Golden Knights provided Las Vegas a common bond to heal. A newly formed hockey team that is Vegas Born. That energy was felt at last night’s 4-0 victory.
Situations show us new ways to be empathetic. It is up to us as individuals to decide what our actions and reactions are going to be. I do not argue about wearing a mask, because it is not harming me to follow the rules set to protect others. It does not mean I enjoy the mask. It means I see the importance of caring about the lives of others. I received my vaccine with eagerness to help cut down on the spread of COVID-19. I choose to find ways to help others and the world in which we live.
