Seems Like a Mess

In this time of tragedy I find myself needing to color in a few of the beauties I've witnessed recently.

Hurricane Katrina has proven to be an ugly, ugly thing... and has brought out some ugly things in people. The things I'm hearing on the news and reading in the newspaper had me reeling and... seemed to have knocked the wind out of me.

Stories about a man talking to his mom on the phone, telling her every day of the week that someone was coming to help... telling her that right up to the friday she drowned.

Stories of looting and rape... of gunmen opening fire on construction workers trying to rebuild bridges.

Stories of policemen being forced to shoot people... and even of a couple of them shooting themselves... unable to take the strain of being unable to help those they've sworn to protect.

I'm going to breath again, I'm going to breath in the good.

I can't do more than mention the good that is going on for Katrina victims: millions of dollars being donated (though so much more is still needed). People making their homes open to complete strangers, not willing to let someone become homeless just because they've lost their home.

But this entry isn't about Katrina. This is about me. Katrina has affected me, here are some things that have as well:

A couple of weeks ago I was in a meeting at work and there wasn't enough room for everyone at the conference table, so people were also sitting along the walls. At a sort-of quiet and semi-serious moment in the meeting a girl put her head back and didn't realize how close she was to the wall and "BANG!" (she later assured us it sounded worse than it felt). Everyone stopped and looked over (including me) and her combination of blushing an laughter is, to-date, one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I think maybe in that moment I could have even married her.

Beautiful.

It's my niece's sixth birthday today. I talked to her on the phone this morning and she had just had a cinnamon roll breakfast and spent a couple of hours with puppies. Tomorrow is the big shin-dig though, with a tea-party where all attendees are required to wear hats.

Beautiful.

I'm sitting at the apartment's swimming pool and a little boy just rode up on his bicycle and asked, "Excuse me, I was just wondering, is the water cold or warm."
An elderly woman on a floaty replied, "It's warm."
"Thank you, that's all I needed to know," he answered (somehow mixing being endearing and genuinely grateful as only a little boy can) and rode off.

Beautiful.

A while back I blogged about a car accident I witnessed and how there was this dance of humanity to help and fix the situation... not willing to just sit and see how it panned out... which, I guess, is exactly what I did. But I'm still thrilled I got to see it.

This Katrina situation has brought to the surface more of the ugliness that can exist in people, more of what was depicted in the movie I blogged about that day, War of the Worlds... which is what I despised it for.

A friend of mine recently wrote a letter and included it on the Sept 3 entry of his blog. In it he discusses the role leadership should be playing in these times. And the role people play in the absence of it.

It makes me think back to the moment of that car accident and wonder if there was a "first" person to run to the aid of those involved, a person who "lead" people to do what they knew was right.

OR was it as it appeared to be?... a reaction in unison to help people in need?

It is inherent in so many people to follow.

It seems dormant in so many to lead.

I believe what I saw that day was a mass of leaders working together... making music in a discordant situation.

You've heard the phrase "Too many chiefs, not enough indians."

I challenge you to take that phrase and shove it. Tear it up. Burn it from your consciousness.

Is there such a thing as a generation of leaders?

Let's see.


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I bring up the beautiful things I've seen because it is an anchor to know that there are things worth protecting.

The little boy with the bike is back and he's splashing too close to the elderly "floaty-lady". She just keeps paddling away... too kind to be irritated.

Beautiful.