But as the day moved onwards, all I could really do is find myself thinking of those in Japan. I get emotionally involved in stories of tragedy. And I actually end up turning off the television & just trying to read pieces in the silence, in my own time. Because I can't handle so much grief & sadness & worry. I've noticed this more & more in myself as I've gotten older & I plan on discussing why in future posts.
So tonight's blog post really isn't anything. I cannot say very much about a country to which I've never visited, have no true ties with, that someone else cannot say much more eloquently. I'll leave the stories and thoughts to unfold through the weeks, months & years ahead. You probably won't see me posting links on Facebook, unless it's something I haven't seen before, or a story that grips me so hard that I can't let go. It's not that I'm not being active in staying informed. I just don't think it's always my place to spread.
But my thoughts are there. They are with old students & their families, friends' loved ones & former colleagues. They are with the faces I see in videos & on the web & in the newspapers. Even if we have seen such terrible things happen in our world, in so many different ways, it is still a situation I cannot even imagine. As a person who works with the public on a daily basis, fights to give them the tools and information they need to try to be successful & happy, I cannot imagine how I would respond in a crisis of this magnitude.
But like my daily life here, I'm always thinking about the ones that need my help. That need some extra love today.
"Because I can't handle so much grief & sadness & worry."
ReplyDeleteYeah - me either. There's only so much I can take before the despair and helplessness sets in. But I remember what my girlfriend said to me on 9/11 when I was (metaphorically) curled up in a ball...laying around and feeling like crap wasn't going to help the people who perished that day. And the same is true today.