boom! life can change in an instant.

It begins like any other day.  Until it's not.

I read about the earthquakes in Nepal. 

The tornadoes in Arkansas and Texas. 

Two nighttime attacks in Central Park.

These events feel far away. Even the muggings in Central Park. Everyone knows the park  isn't safe at night.

But then sometimes tragedy visits too close.

Two days ago a Bolt Bus, on its way from NYC to Boston — a bus I take regularly —explodes on the Mass Pike. Everyone is evacuated first and no one is injured. But still, it's a dreadful reminder that the unexpected does happen.

Late tonight I hear the news that an Amtrak train derails — a train traveling  from Philadelphia to NYC. Many are injured and some die.

Living in New York, I worry less about car accidents than I'm sure others do. Alexander got his license in June of 2011 and to my knowledge, hasn't driven since. But I do worry when he's in cars with others. I'm a little nervous when he flies. But I never worry when he's on a train or a bus.

I know. The odds of something happening are low. But it's hard not to think about the randomness of life. How easy it is for an ordinary day to turn into one of heartbreaking sadness.

I am a half-full kind of person. And like most, I don't dwell on the what-ifs. The daily annoyances of life and the things that make me angry or upset still happen. I sometimes awake in the middle of the night with my fears and anxieties magnified. They are still real, and still looming.

But in the big scheme of life, it's usually not so bad. Or it's fixable. Or there's a plan to make it better. Finding that plan can be difficult, but it's out there somewhere.

Tomorrow I will focus on all there is to smile about, and feel lucky if nothing gets in the way.