Fast Fiction

I’m having trouble wrapping my head around what has happened in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. It’s safe to say that it amounts to heaps of misery and it’s not over.

There’s nothing I can do about it, I can’t save anyone from their flooded attic or off a roof or ease the pain of losing a loved one or everything they own, their neighborhoods, their livelihoods. But there are other people who can help. This is one of those times where I don’t have a problem with throwing money at a problem.

I don’t know what the right choices are going to be but in the short term they’re gonna need some bare necessities so those of us who have more than the bare necessities should send what we’re comfortable with their way.

I’m in Pittsburgh right now, I flew right over this beautiful country today. Thousands of miles of hills, mountains, farms, rivers and canyons. The puffy clouds were stunning and sad because they were so unkind earlier this week.

I haven’t much else to say. Except go do something about it. Donate or write something compelling that will make other people donate. I did up a pretty good list over at blogging.la (and you can buy a T-shirt there too, if that’s what you like). Practically everyone is taking donations right now and PayPal is waiving their processing fees so that more money goes where it should. If you don’t like giving to a big organization, find a small one that you believe in. Or just spend some time volunteering around your area to make up for that organization’s loss of possible support because so much will be focused on Katrina for the next few years.

Also, Will, as usual, has posted something that pretty much echos my sentiments at the moment. So go read that.

There you go: donate, read, empathize and for heaven’s sake - keep yourself out of harm’s way whenever you can.

Yesterday on my way home from work I threw all the change I could find in the house at the coinstar machine at the drug store. It was about $45. Not too shabby for absolutely no effort and no pain. It’s a start. I can do better. I will do better.