A Humbling Lesson from Nepal

Just yesterday, Nepal was once again shattered by a magnitude-7.3 earthquake that shook Kathmandu, destroying school buildings, structures, and homes of many more victims already struggling to piece back their lives from just two short weeks ago.

The damage I’ve seen online is not just of an epic scale, but more than upsetting are the images of homeless children, wondering the streets in search of their families. I’ve been through several earthquakes myself, the first when I was just pregnant years ago with my first son, though it wasn’t anywhere close to what those in Nepal have witnessed. The other one that practically took my dishes and ornaments off the shelves was just about a year ago when the entire building swayed from side to side. I thought this must be it!

Yet today, I’m saddened by what I’m seeing and at the same time, grateful, that what we’ve been through was just a fraction of the earth shaking in Nepal till now.

Nepal – A Reflection of Mother Nature

It is difficult to even imagine how parents in Nepal must have reacted to fend off falling debris from their children, or the immense fear that went through their minds as the earth started to shake. As we sit in our homes wallowing about the pitiful state we are in or how we have been wronged, Nepal did not have time to ponder over such trivial matters. They were hiding and running for their lives, for after two weeks of aftershocks and losing their homes and basic staples, Nepal was ready once again to battle whatever the grounds were throwing at them.

Every now and then, I replay our earthquake drill in my head, trying to be ever-ready for another one that has been predicted to shake California soon. What would I do? Who do I pick up first? What if I could not get to my children!?

I guess no one is ever 100% prepared for what life throws at you, no matter how much you try. As Mother Nature soaks up everything we humans have done to her, ever so often, she explodes. The pressures we have placed on our Earth are constantly pent up in the grounds and oceans. Why then do people blame this planet for these catastrophes and disasters?

Just like us mothers who have to consistently deal with society’s expectations on how we raise our children and the many throngs of life’s battles and objections, Mother Nature too is subjected to the inconsideration and thoughtlessness of those who inhabit her.

Does she not deserve now to lash out?

Don’t get me wrong… I’m not saying these victims in Nepal deserve any of this. No one does. Was this God’s will or the devil playing God?

A Mother’s Lesson

As I go about my day with thoughts of Nepal stuck in my mind, I find it hard to even start complaining. Complaints about the number of toys I have to pick up off the rug. Or the few miserable dollars I have left in my purse. I can’t even start to think of the multitude of laundry that has accumulated on the chair but instead find myself comparing its massiveness to the amount of rubble laying in the streets of Kathmandu. This heap of laundry means nothing at this point.

Would I dare now nag at my children for not finishing their lunches at school? Or rush them into the shower so we can get to homework?

As a mother, I have to parent, discipline, and above all, nurture and love. The news about Nepal today has done what it should to those around the world, it has humbled me. In a way, it has also taught me to humble my children. For it’s not what we don’t have, but what we have that we should be thankful for. (Again, it brings me back to what I write so often about- gratitude.)

We are lucky, despite our circumstances. We are blessed. Our little humble home is small but for now, still stands strong. Our meals are modest, yet we eat well. Life is a struggle, but we are happy.

My prayers go out to Nepal and all those who have lost their loved ones and homes. And tonight, Nepal will be in my children’s prayers as well. For there is nothing more I can teach my children today, than to remember all those who need our help and prayers, even if they might never be able to give back to us.