Aftershock

The other night I was jarred awake by a loud cracking noise.  It was a frigid night (-6 F) and I thought maybe a pipe had burst, or one of the timbers in the attic had split.
But, the next day we did some research and found that we had had an actual earthquake.
The epicenter was about 4 miles from our house, and it measured 1.4 on the Richter scale .  As far as I know there was no damage done.

Maine is not known for its earthquakes.  Blizzards, yes, black flies, mosquitoes, cold water, lobsters, yes, yes, yes. But not earthquakes.  If we lived in California this would be uneventful.  But this is Maine.  (O.K., it was still relatively uneventful, but it has got me thinking).

It is easy to imagine my life will always be as it is (the children will grow--too quickly, of course) but with all of us in our places, doing what we do, settled.  It is a settled way of life here in Maine.

The reality is though, things could change at any moment.  No one knows what will happen, or when.

I guess I'm feeling like this is a chance to stop and take note.  To appreciate and make the most of the opportunities I have to do what I love, and somehow spend less time on the things that I don't enjoy (laundry comes to mind...)

There is a quote I love, "The way we spend our days is, of course, the way we spend our lives" - Annie Dillard (I think).  Somehow that tiny earthquake makes this thought seem even more important.  Let's not waste anytime on the unnecessary (I've already got some ideas for the laundry situation).

Life is unpredictable,  and nothing is permanent.

Indeed, even the very ground is shifting.