Count your blessings.

Seriously, count them.

I could make a list, but there probably won't be enough time nor enough space for it. But let's focus on the current events. Here's my brief list of blessings, just for this weekend alone:

1. I am alive, breathing.
2. I am warm and cozy with my family in our house
3. No real harm surrounded/surrounds us.
4. There was/is no damage at all on our house.
5. The flood around the village was only ankle-deep, and lasted until only around 12noon yesterday.
6. There was no power outage at all even though we were expecting it to come to us.
7. The phone lines are up and running and we still have the internet (which seems shallow, but quite integral to keep us updated with the typhoon and in contact with relatives abroad).
8. While a great number of people floated and fought to keep alive under the rain and amidst heavy flooding, I was (and am) warm and safe with my family.
9. We had (and still have) ample food to eat, water to drink, accessible roads in and outside the village; life is so normal, it seems like it just rained, like it normally does during the rainy season.


So why, then, do I still feel so down? Because I am simply helpless. I feel like I should get out there and DO SOMETHING, but I'm not. I want to show that I care for the victims, but I'm just sitting here, in my comfort zone. I'm so comfortable while thousands and thousands of people are still out there striving to be alive. Some are still stuck on their rooftops, others simply have not eaten for the last two days. I KNOW I can do something to help out, but the best I can do for now is to donate canned goods and some used clothing, and perhaps even financially. It's something, alright. But is it enough? No. And it just makes me feel inadequate and helpless.

We've been watching the news for the past 30-35 hours and the streets in the heavily-affected cities are still flooded, children, women and men still need help.



And I'm still here, living a comfortable life, wanting to do something great for others but not quite getting there.