Silence.

I opened up my browser to come here and complain about how my hair is already looking dry on the bottom half, and dull, and ugly and gross and I hate life and my hair sucks and you suck too maybe. But then right there on MSN it stated, against a red drop and in bold, ugly white letters, that the death toll from Super Storm Sandy is already up to 33.

I know that there are horrible things that happen every day I come here to further mire myself in self-absorption by talking about myself as if my opinions matter in the grand scheme of things. But to see a death toll just there, up from 17 this morning, sort of breaks my heart.

Yesterday it was a nanny who killed the two children in her supervision, completely dependant on her, helpless in the struggle. Last night it was a woman beaten half to death outside a Wal Mart at 8pm. Before that, it was an article in Vanity Fair about a young Indian boy separated from his brother and then his family for 19 years. And then it's all the women being subjected to genital mutilation. Before that, it's everything else. Sex slavery. Rapists. Hate Crimes. Bullies and subsequent suicide. War. Torture. Death and pain everywhere.

Sorry to get so maudlin but as a person who lives in a country that blesses her with the free time to blog about dull hair and trips to Disneyland, sometimes I think a little perspective is necessary. No matter how hard it is, it's worse elsewhere. Prayer and gratitude should mingle, from time to time, with sympathy, awareness and heartfelt attempts to make this world a better place.

Since I'm currently unable to go help the wounded or heal the sick, send money to Red Cross or volunteer, right now I'm going to take a moment of silence, and pray for those who died because of a merciless storm, for the families who are mourning, and for anyone else I can think of.