A whole lotta shakin'....

Photo by Suspicious Pie

Did you hear about the earthquake that occurred yesterday afternoon just south of San Diego? As you might know, we live in San Diego County. I thought you may be interested in what it was like for us. Needless to say, we felt the 7.2 in a big way. But not as strongly as you may imagine. It's all relative, I guess. Being native Californians, R and I have been in many quakes, some strong, some mild. No matter how many I've been in, there is always that point of uncertainty for me...is it going to get stronger or is this the peak? Yesterday's quake was no exception.

We had both sides of our family with us for Easter yesterday. A total of 12. When the quake hit, we happened to be at our favorite French restaurant. The place was packed.

Quakes have different motions. I'm no expert, but it depends on the type of rock, etc. that they travel through. Some give a jerky motion and some are a more rolling jolt. Yesterday's was a rolling back and forth type quake for where we were. This one never reached a point where anyone felt the need to jump under the table or make a break for it. As a matter of fact, our server never even felt the quake (this I can't imagine). We definitely, most definitely, felt it though. Only after it subsided did we realize that directly behind us was a floor to ceiling wall of wine barrels and all along one side of us, glass partitions. The ceilings in the room we were seated in were very high, probably 25 feet or more, and the large pendant lamps hanging from the beams (not directly over our heads, thankfully) were swinging back and forth for quite some time. Nobody in the restaurant, as far as I could tell, panicked or even really reacted to the significant jolt.

The quake felt like it lasted quite awhile. The motion of it stayed pretty consistent. I've been in some that just became more violent and there was the definite feeling that I needed to move fast, toward a safer spot. There are two that come to mind that scared me the most. On both occasions, I was in bed: one in the early morning, one in the middle of the night. Each was so violent that I couldn't get out of bed. When I would try, I would get knocked back on the bed. Incredibly scary. Yesterday's was not of that caliber for us, thank goodness.

Also, there was no damage or injuries to any of us. It truly makes me stop and think about all of my good fortune. And how things can change in a blink of an eye.

The message I want to pass along to you today is not meant to be dark and foreboding. Just the opposite. Embrace your life, look around and see all the wonderful gifts you have. We don't know what tomorrow will bring. Give your loved ones an extra long hug, tell them you love them, and do your best to enjoy your day to the fullest, dear ones...

I'm so grateful that you took time out of your day to visit me....Thank you! Don't forget tomorrow is Turquoise Tuesday, and I hope to see you then...xo