March 12, 2011

Tomorrow Is Another Day





The human psyche is really an amazing thing.

It is almost funny how someone else's tragedy makes you reflect and be appreciative of your own misery.

Yesterday, as many of you were glued to images of Japan's earthquake and subsequent tsunami, I was busy at work. I heard of the horror early, but then things at the gig cascaded into chaos, which is often the case, and I could not check on things until I was back at home.

Once I was perusing the images, I was completely mesmerized for hours. I was scared, I cried and also became so worried about the children there. Many orphaned. Many forever traumatized.

When the tsunami happened in Indonesia, it was the same thing.

We are all curious, hopeful, encouraged, outraged and in awe of Mother Nature and her roars.

This morning I consumed myself with friend Sami Ari's effort with #ChiHelpsJapan.

Sami is a frequent visitor to Tokyo and has friends who can direct us to what their needs are.

So, encouraged by that, I began my day only to run my shower and step into FREEZING COLD!

That's right, my water heater had been affected by the high winds last night and the pilot light blew.

I, of course, not having lit it in years, completely forgot how and it cost me $189.42!!!

Yes, once the technician came he showed me several times and even quizzed me ... I also wrote it down in a visible and memorable area to never be lost or forgotten, too late though, because the damage to my bank account has been made.

In attempting to find somenone to fix my water heater, I phoned my furnace people who reminded me I needed to have a part replaced. And, guess what, they were willing to come out today and complete the task.

At no charge, I scheduled it... they, of course couldn't finish the job due to this or that ...

Yep, I had one of THOSE days!

I did not sweat it though. NOPE, not for ONE second!

Not in the freezing water naked, not when I made a zillion cold calls, not even when I wrote that check.

The images of Japan are still fresh on my mind.

People, places, things simply washed into the sea.

An entire train! An entire ship! Half of an entire town - gone.

Momentarily I considered what impact this has on our environment.

Thousands of cars, buses, trains, ships, boats, homes, heating and cooling, furnaces, businesses, planes and trucks never to be seen again sucked into an abyss -

An abyss that is our ocean. Does that sort of negate my recycling efforts for a year?

Are we helping at all? When things like this, that Earth initiates, happen, how does it affect green efforts?

I can not even fathom what the nuclear incident is doing.

But most important are the lives lost. Thousands washed away.

It is a sad time, yet, once again, age old issues are at the forefront of our minds and our news: Oil, War, Famine, Unrest, Earthquakes .... this is life going on I suppose, until it just doesn't.

4 comments:

Sami said...

D, this made my eyes watery. Thank you so much for writing this and reminding anyone who reads it of what it's like to have our lives and be able to reflect on ones less fortunate than us.

Unknown said...

Sami,

Thank you for your quick response to Japan's needs ... what an inspiration you are xoxox

Swapna Raghu Sanand said...

You are right, its a sad time but we need corrective action and that's something that we own.

Unknown said...

Swapna, I am so honored that you stopped in. Blessings to you, my friend xoxox