My take on the tragedy in Japan.....

[gimmethesimplelife]

I understand that Japan was ravaged by World War II and that there was a great deal of sacrifice made on the part of it's citizens to get the country back on it's feet again. Very hard work, long hours, and for some time (until the US overtook them) men in Japan worked more hours per week than in any other developed country, leading some to die at an early age of heart attacks and strokes, and leaving them with little time to know their children and leaving unhappy wives - sacrifices made to get the country up on it's feet and keep it moving forward. Although Japan has spent the last 20 years either in or on the edge of recession, living standards remain high as do wages.....Then in the blink of an eye on Friday, boom, a section of the country is sent back to devastation similar to WW II, and now Tokyo is on edge being only 155 miles away from a malfunctioning nuclear power plant.....My point here is that life comes with no guarantess, and though there is nothing wrong with hard work - in my opinion - hard work is not the dominant feature I want to be known for or have in my life. Because life is unpredicatable, it truly is. I have decided that I am going to give myself permission, finally, to go back to school, to give self employment a shot, and to learn to play the guitar. And maybe to laugh a little more. And to realize that there are no guarantees in life, much as I believe in this society we try to deny this. Time for me to appreciate and enjoy life more!!!! I hope someone gets something out of this rambling. Rob

[flowerseverywhere]

It is just so overwhelming when you see entire villages swept away. When you see entire houses with all their contents floating and crashing into each other. and all those cars, some of them must have had occupants.

Life is indeed precious. We all have limited time so being the best you can be, spreading joy to those around you and living life to the fullest is a lesson we all should be pondering.

[Lainey]

Interesting because this tragedy made me think the same thing. People who were literally alive one minute and gone the next. So surreal.

[Spider In The Bath]

I agree with all the sentiments.

I have been very ill recently and it has taken me ages just to get up and walking again. In mid-January for the first time in three months I managed to get out of the house and go for a walk with my crutches (albeit not very far). It was so nice to be out and about and I realised how very ill I was and how lucky I was to be up and about again.

I came home and spoke to my husband and we have decided we are going to make changes to make more of our lives. My health has been poor and so I am going to try and reduce my hours at work to just work part-time. I can then spend more time at home growing more of our own food and looking after myself so that I am well enough to go for walks, visit the seaside etc with my husband. Then in a few years time when we can afford it my husband will start working part-time too.

Such a shame for everyone in Japan and no matter who you are sometimes luck just runs out.

[KayLR]

I agree with all the sentiments.

I have been very ill recently and it has taken me ages just to get up and walking again. In mid-January for the first time in three months I managed to get out of the house and go for a walk with my crutches (albeit not very far). It was so nice to be out and about and I realised how very ill I was and how lucky I was to be up and about again.

I came home and spoke to my husband and we have decided we are going to make changes to make more of our lives. My health has been poor and so I am going to try and reduce my hours at work to just work part-time. I can then spend more time at home growing more of our own food and looking after myself so that I am well enough to go for walks, visit the seaside etc with my husband. Then in a few years time when we can afford it my husband will start working part-time too.

Such a shame for everyone in Japan and no matter who you are sometimes luck just runs out.
I certainly wish you well, Cath.

[Mrs-M]

I've been sick over it. I happened upon a video just yesterday where two young children were standing crying and that did me in. I won't be watching anymore videos of the happening.

SITB. (Cath). Sending well wishes along with healing prayers your way.