This building is closed due to...

I have travelled to Christchurch, New Zealand today for a family member. While there has been business to take care of - and that's kept me busy - there has been time to walk around and reflect.

This is my first visit to Christchurch and I've been struck by just how resilient and innovative its people are in the wake of the earthquake cleanup efforts. So much of the city is still under construction - this sign is on one of the buildings within the Botanic Gardens - and yet, its people find a way to keep on keeping on. It's not the best photograph I took today by any means, but it's a sobering reminder of how much work is still to be done two years on.

There's an Indian restaurant near my motel that has been closed - the dine-in section of the building is unsafe. No problem, they've erected a tent outside to take take-away and phone orders. The kitchen is still in perfectly good working order!

Other sections of the city are heartbreaking though - there's simply nothing left in certain places. Huge fences encompass giant holes in the ground. Construction crews are constant. People are still moving in and out of their homes in order to have renovation fix-up crews do their necessary work. Notices condemning buildings or forbidding entry are displayed prominently and all too often.

And you can sense this 'togetherness' of the people - it's similar to how NYC felt after 9/11. Keep calm and carry on. Channel that need for grief, belonging, rage, the need to express those deep emotions into something that binds humanity together. Carry on. Carry on.