Bhopal, India was the site of an industrial catastrophe in 1984, when gas and other chemicals leaked from a nearby Union Carbide pesticide plant.  A memorial at the site bears the words: The suffering continues, so does the struggle.  The brother of the subject of Alex Masi’s photograph suffers from lower body paralysis as a result of the disaster and the village suffers from ongoing contamination.  But the daily struggle, the ability to find solace in simple moments of peace, goes on as well.

In Alex Masi’s photograph, the fresh rainwater on Poonam’s face will soon be absorbed into the earth and contaminated by the chemicals that continue to pollute her village. And yet we find Poonam relaxed, eyes closed, wet hair stuck to her chin, appreciating the simple pleasure of cool rain on a hot day.

There are so many thing I take for granted in my daily life. Living in Los Angeles, the sun is always shining. And yet, on the day I write about Poonam, I open my door to the sight of rain. She helps me remember that's worth appreciating too.

- Jessie

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Jessica Lawson is a marketer and freelance writer in Los Angeles. Facing the end of her twenties, she recently started a blog called When I Was 30 relating the reflections of successful people on the pivotal age.