Blindness and Earthquakes

I'm almost done reading Blindness by J. Saramago, and as I read I realize that the imaginary chaos and sense of doom in the book must be what people in Haiti are experiencing for real, now, and for a long time to come. For them life as they knew it has come to an end, and the future is even scarier.
I'm not sure yet how it all ends in the book, but when I read how they manage eventually to celebrate the very simplest things in life, precious, no longer taken for granted - such as a slow and tender toast of a crystal glass filled with fresh water, a quickly diminishing commodity, to the even rarer one of human kindness - I wonder how we lose track of these elements in our daily lives, and what price we pay for this neglect.

Perspectives

This week I feel lucky to cope with whatever life throws at me, in light of the tragic events in Haiti - everything fades in comparison, and the little, petty life issues we are dealing with here seem not to matter much in the greater scheme of things.

So when my kid needs assistance applying to universities, or money matters bog me down, and the ceiling in my kitchen crumbles, or any other small daily aches and pains bother me, all I need to do is shift my gaze to that unfortunate place, to know I am lucky.

Many people talk of late about their heartaches, these days many feel troubled by matters of relationships, and here are a couple of songs that can sum it all up pretty good:

Peter Gabriel and Robert Lepage in Come Talk To Me:

Barenaked Ladies in You Run Away:

Lhasa Is Dead!

This is the second time I post about an artist I admire, and shortly after they die. (No, I don't think it's deadly to be on my blog, I don't have such grandiose ideas).
Lhasa De Sella died of breast cancer at age 37. What a dreadful thing to hear this morning on my school run with the kids. It made me tear up.
I was looking forward to hearing more music from her. I love her voice. I did not know about her illness.
It makes me sad. Another beautiful voice lost to the world.