Crude Awakening

New Orleans, and the entire Gulf Coast is suffering an inconsolable crime. The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, also being called the "BP Oil Spill" and also being called "Crude Awakening" that happened on April 20th is still gushing oil into the gulf threatening and destroying the wetlands, leaving a lifetime of environmental effects and causing the loss of billions of dollars in revenue and jobs to locals who depend on fish and seafood as their means of employment.

In the midst of all of this disaster is life. You know how emergencies work. The psychology. Disaster is everywhere, and yet, life is everywhere too. Sometimes when life if so sad, so heartbreaking, it's hard to know when to open your heart and when to close it. It's hard to see so much devastation. And even though I'm always talking to people about how to get involved in their communities and to look past the overwhelming cause and dive into parts they can affect, well, there are moments when I too find life hard and complex and simply sad.

These photos, taken on the same bike tour as yesterday's photos, remind me of the life that exists everywhere, the color, the brightness, the essence of New Orleans that will never disappear. And then, I think, it's my job to push the sadness aside and find a way to get involved. Any ideas to share?