By Jennifer Brownell, Managing Director, Q4B

I spent the first two weeks of July on a road trip with my two daughters and some close friends traveling back to Michigan, where I grew up. We spent some time with family, friends and visited Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, OH, the home of the greatest roller coasters in the world.

The trip was fun and exciting and I know that it created lasting memories that my daughters will have forever. I was also able to keep up with work on a daily basis thanks to technology, connectivity and even land lines when necessary.

I intended to use this trip, the experiences I shared with my daughters and my family, the places we visited, the roller coaster rides as the basis for this blog, hopefully, as a metaphor for the recruiting and talent acquisition business.

Late last week my plans changed. They changed because of what happened in Aurora.

I know that we live in a world where random acts of violence occur, where bad things happen to good people and where sometimes we are just at the wrong place at the wrong time. But this was close. I live and work just south of where this occurred in Parker, CO. One of my daughters knows one of the young persons who was shot and who is now in ICU and in critical condition. She just as easily could have been in attendance at this event.

Over the weekend I thought about this horrific event as a mother, as a neighbor to one of the victims, as a concerned citizen and as someone in the business of finding great jobs for people.

We work to make a better life for ourselves, for our families, possibly for generations to come. We work to enjoy life, hobbies, passions, interests. As recruiters we help people find better jobs, better opportunities that will allow them to enjoy their lives outside of work.

The tragedy of Aurora is that those who died will never be able to live their lives as they were meant to be lived, to experience success, to enjoy the pleasures and joys of life outside of work, to make a contribution to our society. They will be missed.

When something like this occurs people react in different ways, some become more cautious, more protective, more suspicious. On the other hand, some become more aware of the time that we have here on earth to live our lives as best we can, to live everyday to its fullest, to cherish family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and to accept the fact that we can’t control everything.

I know that I will look at things differently, that my perspective about life, business, and my career has changed.

And it changed because of what happened in Aurora.

Our prayers are with all of the victims, their families and friends.