About noon, January 20, I had come downstairs to check my email and wake up my sleeping son. I heard a noise upstairs. Something crashing. My first thought was, bad dog. But there he was looking toward the noise too. Intruder?
As I started through the utility room, I saw blue smoke curling around the fluorescent lights. Damn it. What's broken now?
Halfway up the steps I saw black. Black like I've never seen. It had an energy, it seemed alive and threatening. I started up and felt the heat ... Heard the roar and bam ... Adrenaline is a wonderful thing.
I grabbed the portable phone and called 911, waked Ben, grabbed the fire extinguisher. By then (about 60 seconds later) the black cloud was moving down the steps. I shot the fire extinguisher once and realize this was futile.
Grab the costumes, find my keys, get the dog. Call Babe the cat ... Babe. I couldn't find Babe.
The firemen arrived. Get out of there...Put the dog on a lead, move the car....
The windows blew out. Find the cat...He's blind... I left. Put the dog in the car....Moved the car...Moved the car again....Find Ben.
Ben. OK. Lovely in purple surfer shorts with silver lightening bolts, a tee shirt and his sleeping bag. But safe.
Watch life as I knew it go up in smoke. Watch my list of someday projects come tumbling onto the lawn in a sooty smoking heap. Stay present. Stay in the moment. Know that this too is perfect.
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