Journal to a Muse

Excitement I could have done without.

I should know by know that when one of my children calls and says, "Mom, I had some adventures this morning," they are giving me time to sit down!

So DD called this evening and said she'd had a busy day and was going to a Play in a few minutes but that she'd had some adventures in the morning and met all of her neighbors. She woke up to a man pounding on her door and coughing. Rather than assuming that it was Jack the Ripper, she got her keys and her cell phone in case it was a medical emergency (she is SO smart!!) and went down a flight of stairs to the building foyer door.

Turns out that the basement apartment at the end of her Lane beneath the flat with the pink door was on fire.
... And everyone on the block should evacuate.
... And there were four (!) fire trucks in the alley perpendicular to the lane. One headed the wrong way on the one way street, and the others facing the right direction.
... And there was a hook and ladder a block over pouring water over the building or perhaps INTO the building in question.
... And she'd never met all those neighbors before.
... And the three apartments between her and the fire had so much smoke they would have to go someplace else for the night
... And they all stood in the rain for about two hours.
... And it was on the television news.
... And then she and a friend caught up on the recorded episodes of Lost that they'd missed.
... And she didn't think she had fire insurance, but would probably call Monday morning. (Or Tuesday depending on who takes the holiday)
... And how strange was it that she didn't hear anything that sounded like an alarm, although she had heard the sirens.
... And she thought she'd go to the Fire Station in the morning to see if any of them would check to see why she hadn't heard her building's smoke alarms going off, or whether they were working properly. Or she might see if the landlord would do anything.

... And I'm thinking about sending her a fire extinguisher (or Home Depot Gift Card) by Express Mail.
... And I'm wondering why it is that the last time she met "all the neighbors" it was because of a fire.
... And isn't it a good thing that we don't worry every instant about what COULD happen to our loved ones?