Lockdown?

So it's 10:09am here in Brookline, Mass.  They killed one Marathon bomber and are chasing the other to the ends of the earth and nobody here is allowed to leave the house.  It's nuts that this is happening right here.  I'm trying my best to explain to my kids what is happening in a kid-friendly way, and entertain them with various media devices while I watch the news and see what is happening, here, right now.

This makes me realize that this is the first time I have watched the news in maybe one and a half or two years.  I was never a news junkie but we did watch the evening news, I felt the need to stay informed.  I gave it up after reading some statistic about how many good amazing things happen each and every day, and how if the news covered all the good in the world, there would be less than a split second dedicated to the awfulness.  And, our brains and adrenaline systems are not capable of watching tragedies on the news and not vicerally being affected by it.  So, I gave it up.  My sole source of news has been Facebook, CNN breaking news email updates, and word of mouth.  And I've felt much happier because of it.  Because most of the tragedies in the world simply do not affect our family.

This is NOT the case today.  The Marathon Bombing occurred in what I consider my back yard.  And, Brookline is one of the towns under lockdown today.  So, in this instance, I want to watch the news, and know what is going on, since it is happening here and now.  I've never experienced anything like this.  It feels surreal.

But I know that we need to remain positive.  I feel lucky to live in an area with such wonderful resources for law enforcement.  I feel lucky for my safe, happy family.  And I send much love and light to all those affected by the events that occurred this week.