haiku Friday~ Japan

An original haiku likely addressing something that's going on in our little corner of the world.  Sweet and simple and occasionally accompanied by a relevant photo. 

I pause, reflecting
on sorrow that spreads worldwide
grateful for here, now




My heart goes out to the people of Japan for all that they have seen and lived through this last week.  To those who lost their lives, to those experiencing overwhelming loss who now must find a way to go on, to the miles and miles of farmland laying in ruins beneath seawater...  To say that it is tragic is an understatement, yet what else can we say?  Of course unspeakably horrible things happen daily, hourly, on this planet yet when something of this magnitude occurs it knocks us all off balance and leaves us a bit speechless.  It is shocking.  It is scary.  It is humbling and it makes us question so very much and hold so very tight to what we treasure most.

And there's the guilt.  Can't forget that.  The guilt we feel because we are here.  Alive.  Enjoying our breakfasts and the smiles of our babies.  Our warm safe homes.  Our relatively uncomplicated and unburdened lives.  Maybe they have no breakfast.  Maybe their baby was washed away by the sea.  And then as time passes we start to feel a bit less guilty though perhaps we are still holding our loved ones quite closer than we were before.  And taking in the smells and tastes and joys a bit more consciously.  A bit more intentionally.  And that's good.  Thank goodness for seeking out the good... something good, where there is so much that is bad.... so much horror and fear and sadness.

We do what we can.  We reflect, maybe pray.  Send love, maybe money.  We open our hearts and allow vulnerability to creep in a bit more than usual and that's alright.

What else can we do, really?

Yesterday I came across this post by Ruth Reichl.  Sweet.  Simple.  I love what she says about having a moral responsibility to appreciate what we have.

So I suppose that's what we can do.  We can appreciate what we have.  Now.  While we are here and while we have it, whatever and whoever it is.

Maybe we can even allow ourselves not to feel guilty about it.  After all, who would that serve?  Not us. Not them.

So serve yourself.  Love yourself.  Appreciate what you have and be grateful for life while you've got it. That's what I aim to do.