About the devastation. The lives lost. And the still incredibly precarious nuclear situation.
Honestly, I’ve been finding myself shying away from the stories. Hearing about what is happening over there is just heartbreaking to me. But it’s also terrifying. Worse than any scary movie I have ever lost sleep over. Because… because it could happen anywhere. At any time. Without warning.
In the blink of an eye, the world as we know it could shift and change and become something far more damaged and broken than we could ever fully prepare ourselves for.
(Courtesy of wishididntknow.com)
I can’t help but think about those in Japan currently trying to rebuild, all the while having no real concept of how things are going to turn out with this nuclear crisis. Those risking their own lives in the hopes of saving others. An entire nation of people banding together in an effort to make it through this crisis still intact.
And then I think about all the disasters in the last year alone. The floods in Australia. The earthquakes in New Zealand. And now this. It all just seems like too much. Too much destruction. Too many lives lost. Too many sad stories.
It could happen anywhere. The places we live and call home could be destroyed tomorrow, leaving only a lucky few behind to collect the pieces. Would we all be as resilient as the people of Japan? As determined to move forward?
It kind of puts things into perspective. As much as any of us think we’re struggling, it can always get worse. In the blink of an eye, the rug can be completely pulled out from underneath you.
I can’t think about it too much, because it honestly gets my heart racing in a panicked way that I don’t like at all. But… it’s enough to make you want to appreciate the small things. The fact that the sun is out with not a cloud in sight slowly working to melt the snow away. The knock on wood moment when you narrowly avoid what could have been a pretty good car accident. The people in your life who are always there to make you smile or wipe away your tears.
Life is short. And in the blink of an eye, it could get even shorter.
And right about now, I’m questioning my innate desire to live places that are clearly plagued by major fault lines.
But there is so much beauty to be found here. To be found in this world. To be found even in the devastation of Japan, as people come together to rebuild and help each other in whatever ways they can.
In the blink of an eye, everything can change.
Which I guess just kind of makes you want to be that much more appreciative of today.
