earthquakes

Back in the late 90's when I started to tell my friends about my decision to move from Joisey to California, most were supportive (although all professed to be broken hearted about it, of course), some were envious, and more often than not, the subject of earthquakes would come up. (mostly along the lines of: doesn't that scare you a little?)

I suppose if I really thought that I'd wind up dangling on the Bay Bridge like some people did in the Loma Pietra quake back in '89, I might have rethunk it, but most of the time, I'd shake it off ... remind myself (and them) that there are natural disasters everywhere, and skillions of ways to die in each of them (and, as evidenced on the fabulous six feet under, many ways to go in general). So I was playing the odds: How many days go by without The Big One? ... and how great is the life and the weather out there? And what are the chances that The Big One will come when I'm on one of the area's many long (5 mile-ish) bridges over the Bay? (ok, maybe my odds were higher than many, cause i went over this one - the richmond-san rafael bridge - several times a week on my way to work.) (and from time to time i WOULD find myself halfway across - saying: don't let the big one happen now ... but i was playin' the odds.)

There were quite a few earthquakes when I lived there - none of them particularly significant (you get used to a lot of little and medium sized ones) - and after a while I started to think that this was one of the things that makes the people in California unique: there's a spirit that prevails when you know the ground can shift under you any time, and with that possibility always there, you'd better dig in and enjoy it while you can. (loved that about my CA peeps.)

So back in Joisey a little over five years now (good god, has it really been that long?) I'm reminded time and again that earthquakes can happen even if you don't live in the beautiful Bay Area on a fault line. A phone call comes, planes fly into buildings, you get downsized ... something shifts and the world as you know it gives way and there's no retrofitting and no "emergency preparedness kit" on the market for these sorts of quakes.

Had one of those recently. About three weeks ago someone very close to me went to the doctor to get a little problem checked out ... and it turned out to be a really big problem. In the days that followed, the words surgery, chemo, radiation and prognosis were part of the daily mind-swirl.

And even though I knew that the odds with this particular "brand" of cancer were good, it was hard not to flash back to my mother's experience; but (thank god) this is not her brand, and this time the news is good (if you're going to get cancer, i guess this was the kind to get) - there was no involvement in lymph nodes, no invasion in other organs, and for all intents and purposes, he's now cancer free.

So, we've escaped The Big One ... another earthquake gotten through; another reminder of impermanance, fraglility, beauty and how great life is (even when it sucks) ... and that you better dig in and enjoy it while you can.

And once again, I turn to The Gospel of Pop Culture for some inspiration and wisdom, and invite you all to sing along:

Sha la la la la la live for today ... your life is now ... so make the best of this test and don't ask why ... any day above ground is a good day ...(ok, that was an obscure one, but indulge me the aussie reference ...) eat, drink and be merry ... what a wonderful world ... it's such a lovely ride.

white space