Five days ago ...

Monday draws to a close and I reflect on all that has happened in the last 4 days. Five days ago I walked around heedless to my surroundings, today I hunch and look down at the ground, trying desperately to act inconspicuous. Five days ago I would run out to the little shop across the street to find my groceries, today I prefer to call down and have someone deliver them. Five days ago my daughter practiced singing her songs for the Christmas concert, today the concert is postponed indefinitely. Five days ago my daughter's friend enjoyed playing the guitar, today he and his 2 siblings mourn the loss of their parents. Five days ago my daughter didn't know what a terrorist was. Five days ago ...

I feel the same melancholy that strangled the US on September 11 ... the scale may be very different, but the emotions play the same - a sadness that colors everything shades of grey, an anger that rages scarlet in intensity, a yellow fear lurking beneath, and, of course, the deep blues.

I have no need to fear, no need to cancel the highlight of the month - my family's visit to Mumbai. What better way to overcome this than to have family nearby and a plan to visit the beauty of India? What better way to show defiance than to continue our enjoyment of life and appreciation of this great country? So I'll spare no more words on this but to quote the country's most amazing pacifist ...

You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.
- Mahatma Gandhi