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It could have been any one us.

Over the past couple of weeks there have been two tragedies in places that hit too close to home. Tragedies involving two beautiful girls, inside and out, who had their whole lives ahead of them. And it could have been any one of us. 

Ohio State University student Reagan Tokes was abducted, raped, and brutally shot while leaving the restaurant where she worked.

Miami University student Erica Buschick was found dead in her dorm room after a night of binge drinking.

I can’t wrap my head around these tragedies. My heart just breaks for these girls and their families as they mourn the short lives they lived and the lives they still had to live.

I’ve walked alone so many times before and felt invincible. You heard stories of other students getting raped but it didn’t seem real. “That would never happen to me” I would tell myself as I sprinted home from the bars at 2 a.m.

The bars, where I drank until I sometimes couldn’t remember anything the next day. Am I proud of that? No. Not in the least bit. I was young and I was stupid. I was testing the waters and had yet to learn my limits. Even though people told me the affects of alcohol, that was the last thing I remembered when people were passing back a round of shots.

It could have been any one of us. Remembering the two girls who tragically lost their lives in Ohio in 2017.

The point is, my story could have ended differently. Your story could have ended differently. A lot of the lessons we learn in life result in us learning on our own. People can tell us “don’t date that guy” or “don’t get a puppy” but we do it anyways and we learn on our own.

Drinking to excess and walking alone at night are not lessons that can be learned on our own. By then, it can be too late. I wish I could scream from the rooftops all of the lessons I wished I had taken to heart and listened to when I was in college. That I wasn’t invincible and I wasn’t on top of the world. It felt like it, but these two tragedies are a reminder that these things happen to real people. To two girls, at one university I spent countless weekends at and another one where I spent the best four years of my life.

And it breaks my heart that these women won’t have the same experiences I did. That their lives were forever affected by things that we’ve all probably done numerous times and not thought twice about it.

I pray these families find the strength to make it through this difficult time. And that these girls are remembered for the wonderful people they were.

I also pray that other girls take these tragedies to heart and understand the severity. That these were our sisters, real people, who didn’t deserve to have their lives end the way they did. Regardless if they made certain decisions leading to that point or not, two young girls lost their lives way too soon.

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5 COMMENTS

  • WanderTruant

    It’s difficult to wrap your head around senseless tragedy, especially when it concerns random acts of violence. I’m so sorry for those girls. While it’s good to be aware of your surroundings and your situation, don’t let these senseless acts make you paranoid or afraid of living your life to the fullest.

  • Emily

    I currently live in Ohio and these stories hit too close to home for me, too. It’s scary to know that such tragedies happen only miles away. You’re right: it could happen to any of us. I’m certainly praying for their loved ones.

  • Shane Prather

    So incredibly sad this news was 🙁 Prayers to the families!

  • Emily

    Gosh, this is heartbreaking and really scary. It really could have been any of us. We had two high-profile missing girls cases here in VA over the past couple of years that became nationwide news. I knew some of one of their friends, who were just devastated. It really hit home and made me feel less safe and invincible that I had in the past.

  • Alix Maza

    This is terrifying and too true! I see those Dateline and 20/20 stories about this all the time and I always think ‘that could be me.’

    Alix | http://www.apintsizedlifeblog.com

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