Sitting out the latest fires in Southern California, I find I have much to be grateful for.

Date:   11/17/2008 4:03:30 PM ( 16 y ago)

I've been sitting in the house for the last 3 days, with the windows taped shut and my 3 air filters blasting. The air outside smells awful--ash and smoke, and it's not even as bad today as it was yesterday. Yesterday, to make it to my car, I had to wear a charcoal filter mask; my daughter held her breath--she has better lung power than I do. Once we were in the car we blasted the car's air filter. This is why I bought the air filters in the first place--all activated charcoal--because of the wild fires in Southern California in 2003.

My house is about 12 miles from the closest fires still burning east of me in Orange County. There was another fire even closer to me on my west side, but it's out now. And of course the fires are still burning in Los Angeles County, about 30 miles north. I'm 5 miles from the beach but the air is still thick with smoke. Ash is all over the driveway, sidewalks and all over the yard. I put on a mask and went outside to water my potted plants yesterday--they were so wilted. Stopped after that, though, 'cause I know we are in a drought and the firefighters need all the water they can get to put out the fires. Today I hosed off the driveway as the ash was in piles, and hosed off some of my bushes--I felt bad for wasting water, but my plants looked so pathetic I felt sorry for them, and the spider webs were all full of ash. Two elders passed by taking a casual walk--I stared at them and they stared at me-- they probably thought I was nuts to be out hosing ash off of my yard while wearing a mask, and I thought they were nuts to expose their lungs to such bad air. Yesterday while I was in my car with my daughter I saw a mom and her young child riding a bicycle...! And a guy jogging! What were they thinking?!?

I am very grateful to the firefighters, and have been praying on and off for 3 days for their safety, as well as for the residents whose houses are threatened and for those who've lost their homes. And for the plants, trees and other growing things that have burned, and for the animals that have lost their homes or have been injured. I'm thankful Mother Gaia calmed her winds so the fires wouldn't continue to spread. It's a bit cooler today--in the 80's compared with the 90's for the past two days.

There are so many things in my life I can complain about, but today I just feel grateful. My financial advisor called today and we talked business--my mutual funds--established with money I inherited from my dad when he died 2 years ago--have tanked, along with everyone else's. I told him I just pretend I don't have those funds at all (until 2 years ago, I didn't!) and go on with life as I always have. I told him I was grateful I lived in a house where the mortgage is paid, and that the house didn't burn down in the fires. I told him after that, what's going on in the stock market doesn't seem to matter as much. One 64 year old man I saw on TV --it was his birthday--said he's lost all of his retirement money in the stock market dive, and now his home of many years has burned down--he said he had nothing left. I felt so bad for him.

It gives a person a different perspective.

Blessings for this day,
Liora

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