Nobody likes reporters.

News and revelations have a very interesting paradigm all their own.  It's strange, being on the receiving end of bad news.  I really like how Lemony Snicket put it when he compared it to climbing a staircase in complete darkness:  Your foot reaches for one more step than there actually is, and there's a sickly feeling of dark surprise as your foot plunges through the air.

Mr. Snicket was, of course, referring to the death of a loved one, but I feel that in my experience the same sensation is experienced from many other kinds of news, not necessarily even pertaining to loved ones.  Maybe you come home one day to find that your house has been robbed, or the check you sent to last month's electric bill bounced.  Maybe you receive an e-mail that very quickly thrusts five very large tasks at you, all of which require your immediate attention.  Maybe you turn on the TV one day and see reporters saying that they believe the gunshot came from the Texas School Book Depository, or that the second plane hit within the same hour as the first.

Regardless of the details, sometimes the sheer instant nature of news makes it feel like it's hitting you harder than any bus ever could.  We often refer to such news as "life-changing."  We're absolutely sure that this new tidbit of information is going to alter how we see and act forever.

I think the bigger news, though, is something that nobody ever really tells you: most of the big, life-changing news we hear... usually only ever affects 5% of our life, and that is a generous yield on my part.  Yes, being robbed sucks, but how much of "I'll never feel safe in my own home again" is just feeling?  When we find out about bad stuff, and when there's still a bit of light on the subject, I think we attribute too much feeling to our shellshock.  And that can really be a dangerous motivation for your actions.  It rushes you into decisions you might not have made if you just never heard the news to begin with.  And a few weeks down the road, what's going to have the bigger sting: the old news, or the decision you pushed on yourself?

September 26th... happy anniversary.