The Most Excruciating Experience Imaginable

I'm sure many people may feel depressed upon reading this entry,
but nevertheless, I think it warrants a posting.

When the song, Be the Light (composed for Great East Japan earthquake) 

was played automatically on Youtube tonight, 

it reminded me of a 15 year old girl's speech at a memorial ceremony last March. 

To cut a long story short, as the girl returned home from school, 

she and four family members were swept away by the tsunami in seconds. 

The next moment, she found herself being on a roof with her mother visible below.

Large splinters of timber had pierced her mother's body.
She tried in vain to help her mother before realising that to stay any longer in both dying.
She made the heart-rending decision to swim away before the next wave came.
She said "thank you. I love you" and left behind her stricken mother
who was pleading "don't go". 

She swam across to a nearby school and stayed the night there. 

She ended her speech with a thank you for all the help from around the world.

Unbelievably, some people gave negative comments on what she did to her mother.
I can't even begin to imagine how heavy her actions must weigh upon her conscience.
She can only try to live positively - what is the alternative??

Thank you for reading.

I Got Stuck!

Since last summer, I've been writing a monthly column about my job for a magazine
section titled "The Unknown Parts of Jobs".
Four people with varying types of jobs compose the column in rotation.
After I wrote some columns, it occurred to me that what's common knowledge in my job
may be mystifying to people in other fields.
Assuming  they might or might not already know is guesswork for me.
It's not easy to keep finding suitable topics, but writing such a column is rewarding.
I'm imparting my knowledge.

In any case, I love this job. :)