The butterfly effect

We’ve had some heavy news weeks this summer. Burglaries, fatal crashes, residents fighting cancer, and a suspected murder-suicide were among the hard news headlines of the summer 2022 news cycle in our area.

That said, we’ve also celebrated a lot. Our communities have a way of coming together when we really need to, don’t we?

When I reflect on this past summer, a song by The Byrds comes to mind, “Turn, Turn, Turn.”

We’ve had “A time to dance, a time to mourn,” all in the past few months. Plenty of them, in fact.

September will be no exception, as even though the kids are back in school we still have a few weeks of summer left.

Hundreds will descend upon the Foster County Fairgrounds on Saturday for the annual Junkfest. Headlocks is bringing something new to downtown for the day as well, with a BBQ Competition. Ribs and chicken prepared by various competitors are on the docket, along with outdoor games and a beer and seltzer tasting.

Then on Sunday, we’ll mourn those lost to suicide and offer hope and healing to all those affected by it.

Many of us are impacted by suicide in some way. Some of us have friends or acquaintances that lost a loved one. Others have had a suicide death within our family or friend group. I also fall into another group. Someone very close to me has considered suicide and survived.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among North Dakotans age 10-44. That is a startling statistic. Here at your local newspaper, we subscribe to updates from the North Dakota Highway Patrol, and I’m surprised how many fatal crashes are reported throughout the state. Yet, despite the numbers, suicide kills more young people than car crashes.

We also hear about the number of motor vehicle accidents caused by alcohol impaired drivers, and how North Dakota has a problem with binge drinking. Readers, did you know that over three times as many North Dakotans died by suicide in 2019 than in alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents?

Suicide is a silent, lonely killer. In recent years, though, through the work of many in our area communities, we have come out of the shadows to talk about it and heal from it.

Although there have been other suicide awareness events in Carrington, this is the first Out of the Darkness Walk organized here as part of a national movement.

Meanwhile in New Rockford, the Eddy County Community Cares (ECCC) group has been gathering each September in observance of Suicide Awareness Month for years.

My favorite part of all the events they’ve organized is the butterfly release. This year’s Lights of Hope butterfly release takes place at 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11 in New Rockford’s Centennial Park (the one downtown with the gazebo).

Butterflies are amazing creatures. There’s something about watching those big grayish-brown bugs warm up in the sunshine and take flight as magnificent, colorful, hopeful butterflies.

I’m usually found behind the camera during the release, capturing images of young children as they hold those butterflies in their hand. Their faces light up when the butterfly takes flight. It’s even startling for some, as those creatures come alive in an instant, right before your eyes, right in the palm of your hand.

I just take it all in, and I’m reminded of how fleeting life is, yet how amazingly beautiful and wonderful.

The significance of the butterflies in suicide prevention efforts.

It’s called the butterfly effect, and the concept is ever so simple. A tiny action can cause massive change somewhere else in the bigger system.

Apply this to someone you know that’s struggling. Imagine if you, or anyone, could reduce their pain just a little bit, with a smile, a wave or even a brief conversation?

As speaker Andrew Newton explains, “Imagine if every one of us took a tiny action. A tiny step in the same direction, a tiny shift in attitude, a tiny moment of kindness to another, a tiny change in perspective.

“I believe that we all have the power to create massive change, even if we only do something tiny. Imagine what the impact of lots of tiny could achieve?”

The Out of the Darkness Walk, the ECCC Lights of Hope event and butterfly release are annual ways we gather to shine a light, and offer hope and healing to those affected.

For the other 364 days out of the year, let’s be the butterfly. Let’s take the tiny actions that make the difference in the lives of others. Our lives, and theirs, depend on it.