Fire Drill yesterday was a little different than the ones I remember from elementary school. Do you remember the unexpected fire alarm which compelled us to follow the teacher’s orders? We were quiet, compliant and also a little excited. We knew there was no fire! There was no danger. This was a great opportunity to move out of the classroom and onto the playground. Fire Drill was fun!
Not yesterday. Fire alarms were real. Danger was here and now. As the mountain blazed and the wind whipped the flames, I watched and waited. I packed the car with the essentials. What are essentials? I made choices.
The contents of my car waiting to evacuate: My dog, Sophie with her leash upon her; external hard drive; husband’s prescriptions; ancestor’s photos; passports; bills & checkbook & credit cards; phone charger; a ship in a bottle that my dad made; the will & trust; my jewelry box; a piece of my son’s artwork – a kindergarten Mother’s Day portrait. I thought if I needed to I would grab all the photo albums and as many clothes as I could. As an artist, I knew I would have to leave all the original work behind, but I could always create more.
After the danger had passed, I considered that I had actually done quite well in gathering the essentials. I’m going to make a list to remind me of what I need if it should ever happen again. A little preparedness makes it easier to leave the past behind.