after the storm

Ever noticed that expressions of extreme pleasure and extreme pain are remarkably alike?

Spent hours trawling the wire pictures for a page I was doing on dealing with the emotional aftermath of the tsunami.

Cliched as it sounds, that was when the news really hit me, like a relentless wave.

Ended up severely depressed after looking at literally hundreds of colour photos of brown bloated bodies and faces of despair and grief.

I padded around the office in a daze with a stack of photos, looking for my editor to choose the "best" one. But in my heart, I was reluctant to use any of them, really. It seemed like such an intrusion into someone else's private mourning.

I walked past into my favourite photographer and listlessly showed him all the grieving images. I guess I was looking for reassurance that all those souls are somewhere above in a better place and badly needing a hug.

But because it was sure to freak him out, I blinked back my tears and asked for his professional opinion on the quality of the photos instead.