Eamonn and Stef might miss their own wedding

Sigh.

Every day I am hearing more and more stories about people close to me affected by the Eyjafjallajokull volcano. I have friends stuck in Jordan, Sydney, Seattle, Singapore, and the UK.

Some are happy – extended holidays! Hooray! But the glum, I feel for the glum. One friend might lose his job. Two friends are getting married in Ireland this weekend, and the bride’s mother might not be able to make it to her daughter’s wedding. A relative of a friend of mine was passing away, and no one was able to make it to his bedside to say good-bye.

How many people are scheduled for surgery and waiting for organs? Or are unable to get their prescriptions? Or new mothers stranded on their first business trip back at work? People outstaying their visas? The list goes on. My own story pales in comparison… but is still monumentally frustrating. I can only imagine what it must be like for others, and my heart goes out to all of you.

Who would have thought a “random” volcano could affect so much? Farmers in Kenya are being laid off due to a volcano in Iceland. That’s just amazing. It just goes to show how fragile we really are in this globally interconnected world.

Transportation has changed the way we (animals) have organized ourselves. Take out one mechanically introduced, unnatural part of that and chaos ensues. I am a huge fan of travel (obviously) but this does make for some interesting introspection. If it weren’t so easy to go home, would I have left? I am always comforted to know that my family is only a 10 hour flight away…

Now for the first time we are starting to ask the question – what would the world be like if people were grounded for months? Nature has spoken, indeed.