Sobering Stuff.

This photo was sent to me this evening. To say it is sobering is an understatement. Just when I thought that I couldn't be shocked, or stopped in my tracks any more....it seems that I still can be.

I think my eldest son put it best when he commented on some images on Facebook saying;
"As the cbd red zone is my second home I can testify that things are changing rapidly. Its not something you can grasp fully until you have seen it with your own eyes. Madness"

Yes "madness" describes it perfectly. 

Observations

I refuse to let the ongoing earthquakes define me as a person & would love to think that they wont define us as a city.

However the media thinks otherwise, as all they report are the negatives with headlines which misquote & often intended to mislead.

Once again we've had "aftershocks" that have done further damage in some cases, caused new damage in others & have re-damaged what had been repaired after the first two major events. Many people are "over it", over the city, over the shaking & over what the continued shakes are doing to their psyches.

In my heart I am all of the above - but I refuse to let those thoughts & feelings consume me & define me as a person. I can choose to look forward with hope or stagnate by immersing myself in the everyday present. I choose the former & on the days that I venture out across 'my' side of town the visuals that greet me as I drive over broken roads certainly don't make it the easiest path to follow.

I guess what is bothering me the most about these earthquakes & their consequences is that it is defining us as a city. Christchurch is far more than earthquakes & aftershocks - & yet that is what we are being put on the map for.

To be fair, for many, it is all consuming. But it isn't all there is to us. There is still beauty to be found - you just have to look a little harder.

What was the "new normal" a few months ago has now just become normal & it's not all bad....just slightly difficult sometimes to see the 'good'. It's easy to see the negative - it's in your face everywhere you go so you simply can't help but notice as you drive over broken roads surrounded by broken houses. But it is important to look past that & look to the future to what is going to be a wonderful new city full of new opportunity one day.

In the meantime look to the small stuff for beauty. Stop & smell notice the roses, the sunrises,  sunsets & change of seasons. Mother Nature doesn't only wreak havoc - she puts on some spectacular displays in her progression through every day.

The media isn't going to report them though - it is up to us to notice them & once again let the garden city & her beauty,  our sense of humour or anything but the bloody earthquakes become what defines us.

Finding My Own Space

Living in Christchurch is definitely interesting these days - if nothing else. It's a city divided by so many things; thoughts, attitudes, opinions & circumstances.

It wont be like this forever - but for many it will still be unsettled for a very long time.

Of course I have opinions, concerns & a fair dash of attitude. I know what annoys me & I'm discovering what works for me in dealing with this ongoing aftermath. It isn't constant negativity. It isn't ripping people apart for their efforts in trying to deal with something that no one can have imagined ever having to deal with.

Some days it isn't all that easy to stay positive - especially if you travel through certain area's of the city, so it's no great stretch to feel a huge amount of empathy for the people that live there.

The media seem incapable of reporting anything in a positive capacity, or finding a 'feel good' story which, if taken on board or focussed on too much, undermines ones ability to look at anything in a positive light.

People can take offence if you try to boost morale by pointing out the positives to them, possibly thinking that you are trying to minimise what they are going through, even though you aren't. It's complicated - emotions are running high & often patience is running low.

So here I have created a space where I can say what I think, or voice an opinion. I can speak of the things which annoy me & why.

The best part is that no one has to read it if they don't want to, but I know I'll benefit from typing it out.

Here goes.......