What's Next?

     In the span of the past week, we have experienced; an earthquake, a hurricane, a tornado, and epic flooding. What's next in terms of natural disasters?

     Of course I can't personally claim too much tragedy. My house didn't even lose power during the hurricane, and I didn't feel the earthquake. Yes, we had some flooding in our basement, but nothing the pump couldn't handle, and here we are a week later none the worse for wear.

     But it has been an interesting week.  And it was interesting for all the expected reasons, the dire implications of yet more record breaking storms, the warm feelings of watching everyone come together during the worst moments and supporting one another. Those things were all very much in evidence, and definitely worth recording. But it's all be recorded before, so I will come at this from a different direction.

     There is something joyful about about a storm like hurricane Irene. And no, this is not meant to downplay the very real tragedies that this storm brought about, my heart goes out to everyone who has lost a home, a pet, or property in this storm. Most of all, the families of the few that died. But when I looked out at the storm itself, the wind and the rain, the eggplant color of the sky and the freight train sound, it seemed possessed of a fierce, wild joy.  Nature doing what nature has done for a untold millions of years, without a thought to the multitudes who are hanging on for mercy.