Seismic Activity

The recent earthquake in Haiti has got me to thinking about  foundations. Inner foundations.  When the shifting happened, how sturdy was my foundation?  When the shit hit the fan,  and the crumbling of assumptions, of concepts, of worn out ideas ensued, was  I left standing, or was I  a pile of  rubble, under which my heart still beat, but had no home to carry it? 

I’m still in Oakland, it’s raining hard.  The locals are calling it a flash flood. I heard it’s raining in Phoenix too, and it may  last all week. I see visions of mountains , green and sprinkled with orange, yellow , and purple.  In the valley, January and February showers bring March and April wildflowers.  Awesome. Here though, they worry about mudslides and  earthquakes. There is a whole new world of  natural disaster preparedness that I must be schooled on.  Drinking plenty of water and donning a wide brimmed hat won’t protect me from ceilings collapsing and road closures.

 Earthquakepredictions.com says that there is a high probability that there will be a 5.0-6.0 earthquake today with it’s epicenter in San Francisco.  Shannon spent an hour sharing her knowledge on earthquake safety.  When you feel the rumble, or the wave,  stand in a doorway, or crawl under a very strong table or desk.  Wait there for a few minutes after the movement has subsided.  Aftershocks are sometimes more devastating than the original quake.  Once you feel safe,   go outside, or turn off the gas and water, and then go outside.  This depends on how safe you FEEL.  There is no way to know if an aftershock will come and smash your ass while you are trying to prevent more damage, you just go by instinct.  When you do go outside, find an open space away from power lines and trees.  As I write this I am sitting in a cafe scanning the environment for a safe place to be when the quake comes.  Lot’s of glass here….we should leave.

I’m still standing, planning my great escape to the land of earthquakes, mudslides, and ADVENTURE.   I’ve had a few internal aftershocks since the initial cracking .  I’m feeling quite strong, my feet firmly in place , my head reaching into the heavens.   My heart has a home here, the foundation super sturdy, no reason to worry.   Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the  rumbling ride.