When life happens.  (UPDATED)

Our hearts go out to the people of Japan as they recover from the devastation of last night’s 8.9 earthquake.  These sorts of events remind us that much of life is out of our control and that no matter how hard we try and how much we prepare, life happens.

The images of a wall of water in some places as high as 30 feet making is way inland over the farmlands and towns of Northern Japan also remind us that life’s knockdowns are filled with twists, turns and the ripple effects of an original event.

Still whether a knockdown in the ring, a terrible personal loss or the experience of an overwhelming natural event, the point is to do one’s best to “roll” with the punches while helping others who may be worse off than ourselves.

UPDATE – scarier than we knew …

The tsunami has had devastating effects on the countryside in the region of Sendai — and now, there are two nuclear power plant facilities that have been declared nuclear emergencies.  One of the plants just sustained an explosion of one of its nuclear reactors, and the roof of that reactor has reportedly collapsed.  Experts are stating that a “Chernobyl”-style incident is unlikely due to the reactor’s design, still, it seems that a meltdown of some kind is occurring — along with the potential for catastrophic outcomes.  It’s not for this post to comment on the relative merits of nuclear power, suffice it to say, we fear for the human toll of these extraordinary events and urge everyone to provide what assistance they can during this terrible time for the people of Japan.

>>> One suggestion is to text REDCROSS @ 90999 to make a $10 donation in support of Red Cross disaster relief efforts for earthquake victims in Japan.

For further updates, the New York Times is here.  Guardian (UK) is here.