I saw this picture on NPR.org a few days ago:

A woman is rescued from the rubble caused by an earthquake in Indonesia (Wong Maye-e, Associated Press)

It struck me because I don’t usually associate disasters with smiling. But this lady is beaming, overjoyed at her rescue. Rather than focus on her general distress, or the rehabilitation that may lie ahead, she is just happy to be out of that dark hole, unphased by the glare of cameras, excited to see other faces. I wonder what she is looking forward to the most? Perhaps a loved one, or an engaging job, or a warm meal of spicy rice and prawns, or a favorite movie. Or maybe she has an XBox 360 at home and figured out how to defeat the Scarab tank in Halo 3 while she was in the hole. I know that put a huge smile on my face.

I know what you are thinking. My western sense of “pleasure” needs some perspective and probably doesn’t jive with hers. (Though you never know.) Anyway, I only hope I have her sense of joy if I ever experience great distress and rescue.