Oh yeah, she’s still a beatin’ away in there
Life has a lot of funny ways.
Like lulling you into a sense of routine and pattern and similarities. You start taking things for granted.
And then Fate yanks that rug out from under you just to remind that hey, better pay attention! The starting pitcher for the cosmic league might just be grooving one right at your earflap!
Had a moment like this today.
The day started out really good. Beautiful, calm.
Had a chance to spend the day up in San Francisco. Got to visit one neighborhood fairly unknown to me and another very familiar part of town.
And it was great. Hey, the sun was even out for a while. There is no city more beautiful than San Francisco on a sunny day.
The Good Man and I made our way through the day at a happy pace, had an amazing lunch, and worked through our chores.
So feeling pretty at peace with the world, we finished up and made our way home down the peninsula.
The ride was easy, we were ahead of traffic, and other than a plastic bag adhering itself to the underside of our car, then simmering on the exhaust pipe, it was the perfect ride.
We get to our town, we turn right, we turn left, and soon we arrive at our neighborhood…
To see two hook and ladder fire engines, two smaller fire engines, the fire supervisor, and several other fire vehicles blocking our street.
“Please tell me that’s not our house,” The Good Man said aloud.
It was then I could feel that ol’ heart deep in my chest start to rev up. The adrenaline gets to rolling into the veins, fight or flight sets in and all the blood goes to the core. Muscles tense. Eyes get a little sharper.
There was a fireman sitting behind the wheel of a parked truck, so I said to The Good Man, “I’ll find out” and jumped from our now stopped car.
I walked up to the man, got his attention, and said, “Um, sir, I live *right there*” emphasized with a point of my hand.
The fireman said, “You can get there as soon as I move the truck” he said.
“But, but…” I stumbled out. “Is that where the fire is?” I tried to keep the panic out of my voice. I’m pretty sure I didn’t succeed.
He smiled, “No, you’re fine. The fire is over there,” he said, with a point of his heavily gloved hand in the opposite direction of my home.
“Oh thank you thank you thank you!” I said while hopping on balls of my feet.
Today, the fire brigade did not come for my home.
My heart is settling back into its regular docile pattern.
And I got a strong reminder today to keep a sharp eye out, because the cosmic pitcher is wild, and fastball might getcha squarely in the back when you’re not looking.
