Twin Stars Colliding
Collision in the Woods
My home is in the forest near a parkland trail. Built on seven levels that are nestled onto a hillside, the back of the house is over 100 feet up in the air. I fondly think of my dwelling as a treehouse. Some of our guests get dizzy looking over the railing, but I love to peer over the side into the woods or sit back to watch the canopy birds attracted to our numerous feeders.
Last Monday, just past noon, while working quietly at my desk enjoying a occasional nod to the view from my window, of rain gently dripping from the Cedars and Douglas firs, I was startled by a loud crack. It sounded like a lightning bolt hit the roof colliding with a freight train. As my head to jerked to attention, I looked out the window to see the top half of a huge tree rocket to the ground. Ten seconds later an earthquake like blast shook the house, toppling pictures, breaking glass, and sending branches shooting through the skylight to puncture holes in the stairwell wall.
The first thing I noticed when I leaped to my feet was that my heart was pounding, adrenaline shooting skyward and my body shaking. Ray was shouting at me to come upstairs, and I kept thinking to myself, “Calm down. You are a meditator and are not supposed to get upset. Thankfully no one was hurt.” At that moment I was very glad that I was not alone in the house.
Taking the stairs two at a time, I ran up to the main floor to find shattered glass blocking my way. Stepping gingerly through an unbelievable mess, I worked my way to the back deck to discover it was half dissolved and no longer fenced in. Looking down from the remaining splintered boards, vowing not to become a statistic with a seventy-five foot fall, I tried to discern which tree was the culprit. I am possessive of my trees and was unhappy to lose even one. It was difficult to tell, but with a bit more investigation I was crestfallen to see the upturned ball of a magnificent 150 ft. Red Cedar. In totem terms the trunk could be used to make eight or nine poles.
It was then that I finally let out a laugh. Yesterday I had been speaking to the young man we mentor and had told him that, “Life is just a series of problems to be overcome.” I had been trying to make him realize that there is never such a thing as, happily ever after. “Overcoming difficulties makes life interesting.” I had said. He was in the house at the time the tree went down, so when he came bounding into the room I turned to him and said, “ Remember what we were talking about yesterday? Well, it looks like this problem is going to be a doozie!”
I have always been a preparation type of gal. After listening to lectures about earthquake probabilities in Oregon, I bought cases of bottled water, and for both work and home, purchased several sealed buckets containing enough dried meals to feed a family for twenty days. My car contains an emergency supply tub complete with a change of underwear. At work, I asked employees to bring extra clothing which I stored next to blankets, quilts, flashlights and batteries, ready to be accessed as needed. And our safety committee made sure we had first aide material in all parts of the building.
Since I lived in the woods, I was always concerned that a tree might come crashing down from the hill above. Ray and I pruned the branches on those nearby to make sure that the three and four foot diameter trunks were weighted away from the house. It never crossed my mind that one located eighty feet downhill on rain saturated ground could fall upwards causing damage. Acts of nature are full of surprises that send twists to planning documents.
This incident has made me realize that there are preparations for dealing with a disaster that are rarely mentioned. It is a good idea to have your doctor, insurance agent, and in case of a homeowner problem, an emergency response contractor’s number programmed into your cell phone. I also grasped the importance of doing exercises to help my body move swiftly and my mind to remain calm. Meditation and physical programs that push my brain to adjust to changes in rhythm and movement can provide me with solid grounding from which to take action. Core strength, balance and flexibility make cleaning up messes more manageable. With these insights, I added new goals to my New Year’s resolutions.
I hope a personal disaster never happens to you, but if it does remember that there are a lot of people ready to offer their support. Thank you Gary.
Art is for sale at eichingerfineart.com.
Home » Blog » A Collision in the Woods
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Twin Stars Colliding
Collision in the Woods
My home is in the forest near a parkland trail. Built on seven levels that are nestled onto a hillside, the back of the house is over 100 feet up in the air. I fondly think of my dwelling as a treehouse. Some of our guests get dizzy looking over the railing, but I love to peer over the side into the woods or sit back to watch the canopy birds attracted to our numerous feeders.
Last Monday, just past noon, while working quietly at my desk enjoying a occasional nod to the view from my window, of rain gently dripping from the Cedars and Douglas firs, I was startled by a loud crack. It sounded like a lightning bolt hit the roof colliding with a freight train. As my head to jerked to attention, I looked out the window to see the top half of a huge tree rocket to the ground. Ten seconds later an earthquake like blast shook the house, toppling pictures, breaking glass, and sending branches shooting through the skylight to puncture holes in the stairwell wall.
The first thing I noticed when I leaped to my feet was that my heart was pounding, adrenaline shooting skyward and my body shaking. Ray was shouting at me to come upstairs, and I kept thinking to myself, “Calm down. You are a meditator and are not supposed to get upset. Thankfully no one was hurt.” At that moment I was very glad that I was not alone in the house.
Taking the stairs two at a time, I ran up to the main floor to find shattered glass blocking my way. Stepping gingerly through an unbelievable mess, I worked my way to the back deck to discover it was half dissolved and no longer fenced in. Looking down from the remaining splintered boards, vowing not to become a statistic with a seventy-five foot fall, I tried to discern which tree was the culprit. I am possessive of my trees and was unhappy to lose even one. It was difficult to tell, but with a bit more investigation I was crestfallen to see the upturned ball of a magnificent 150 ft. Red Cedar. In totem terms the trunk could be used to make eight or nine poles.
It was then that I finally let out a laugh. Yesterday I had been speaking to the young man we mentor and had told him that, “Life is just a series of problems to be overcome.” I had been trying to make him realize that there is never such a thing as, happily ever after. “Overcoming difficulties makes life interesting.” I had said. He was in the house at the time the tree went down, so when he came bounding into the room I turned to him and said, “ Remember what we were talking about yesterday? Well, it looks like this problem is going to be a doozie!”
I have always been a preparation type of gal. After listening to lectures about earthquake probabilities in Oregon, I bought cases of bottled water, and for both work and home, purchased several sealed buckets containing enough dried meals to feed a family for twenty days. My car contains an emergency supply tub complete with a change of underwear. At work, I asked employees to bring extra clothing which I stored next to blankets, quilts, flashlights and batteries, ready to be accessed as needed. And our safety committee made sure we had first aide material in all parts of the building.
Since I lived in the woods, I was always concerned that a tree might come crashing down from the hill above. Ray and I pruned the branches on those nearby to make sure that the three and four foot diameter trunks were weighted away from the house. It never crossed my mind that one located eighty feet downhill on rain saturated ground could fall upwards causing damage. Acts of nature are full of surprises that send twists to planning documents.
This incident has made me realize that there are preparations for dealing with a disaster that are rarely mentioned. It is a good idea to have your doctor, insurance agent, and in case of a homeowner problem, an emergency response contractor’s number programmed into your cell phone. I also grasped the importance of doing exercises to help my body move swiftly and my mind to remain calm. Meditation and physical programs that push my brain to adjust to changes in rhythm and movement can provide me with solid grounding from which to take action. Core strength, balance and flexibility make cleaning up messes more manageable. With these insights, I added new goals to my New Year’s resolutions.
I hope a personal disaster never happens to you, but if it does remember that there are a lot of people ready to offer their support. Thank you Gary.
Art is for sale at eichingerfineart.com.
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