The micro and the macro:

I wrote my blog in the morning and headed off to work listening to Tom Jones on the James Bond sound tracks album. There was a break in the traffic so I pulled a fast u-turn from my west facing parking spot into eastbound traffic. My cell phone rang. It was Brad telling me that he had just heard about the plane crash in Kirksville on NPR. Just off the phone and it rang again, Angela telling me the same. All day at work checking in with CNN and STLtoday.com for updates, getting emails from Jen as she finds out who it was via internal communication at KCOM. In a town like Kirksville, if you didn’t know anyone on that plane you know plenty of people who did. Later Paul called to find out what we know. He will be involved soon in a professional capacity, doing autopsies. Paul is a graduate of KCOM and ran the anatomy lab there. The chances that he knows some of the victims are well beyond probable.

None of my comings and goings, the emotional pinball of my workplace, matter at all in grand scheme of things. We still have seven workdays to bounce off each other and I should take it to heart to enjoy these people such as I am able.

Karl, “Are you doing ok?”

Sandy, “I’m worried about not getting everything done before I go in on Thursday. Getting the house ready and all that. I’m worried about having the surgery again. But I know after it’s all over and I’m holding my new baby, everything that’s trivial will fall away and only the important things will be left.”

My nephew Henry will be here by the weekend, sucking air and crying just like the rest of us.