I was driving into Boulder on Monday night for yet another goodbye party when I saw a orange glow in the distance. I have to say that at that moment I was quite taken by the beauty of what I was seeing in front of me. I had to remind myself to keep my eyes on the road. Once I hit the top of the hill, right before you descend into town, I saw a whole crowd of people turn off at the lookout. It was a little bit exciting but also, obviously concerning. This fire has now reached national news. It has expanded to over 3,000 acres, destroying 52 homes and 8 people still remain missing-- and it's still growing. It's devastating. The air smells like smoke, and is a constant reminder that some things are not in our hands. They never are. My heart goes out to anyone who has experienced loss from this tragic event. I can not even understand how hard it would be to loose a home, a pet, a thousand memories.
I always thought that, beyond people of course, memories are the most tragic loss of all in natural disasters-- home videos, photo albums, crayon drawings from when you were a kid. It's funny how in day to day life I really don't look back at my photo albums much, but when I think about grabbing anything, that is something I would definitely try to save. It makes you think about what really matters-- what's replaceable, what's not. We all work so hard to build a life for ourselves without realizing that it's all so vulnerable.
Sorry to bring down the mood. Sometimes I need to be reminded of just how good I've got it. Have a happy hump day my dears!
(photo via east/west)
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