Earthquake

Bump. Bump. Bump. Bump. Bump. Bump.

I woke up to what I thought was a low, but strangely loud alarm clock sound. Instead it was the iron wall decoration above our bed hitting the wall over and over. It took me a minute to realize I wasn't dreaming. The dogs were in my lap - alert and tense. The whole world was moving. A lot. Everything was shaking. I heard crashing in the next room. I couldn't move except to look at the clock. 5:31 am. I held the dogs close and prayed.

Then, just like that, it was over. It was earily calm. And we were okay.

Living in Okinawa has brought it's share of earthquakes over the years. This was new for me since I'm a New England girl. I remember seeing movies that depicted earthquakes in California and they always showed windows breaking into bits and people running for safety. But, this has never been the case here. Our quakes are always so small. Most of the time, you didn't even realize an earthquake was happening unless you were in a highrise building. This time, it was different.

I got out of bed to survey the damage. Glass was all over my dining room floor. A wooden wall decoration was also in pieces. A bottle of champagne lay on the floor but was still intact (phew!). Small items were scattered on the floor, books were toppled over, and the iron was laying flat. Overall, minor damage. Nothing to be upset about. I chased the dogs away, grabbed the broom and started sweeping.

Later, back in bed, my heart would not stop racing. I knew it would be awhile before I would fall back asleep. I looked out at the other apartment buildings and saw many lights on, knowing that others were cleaning up, soothing scared children, or dismissing the idea of going back to sleep at all. I thought about how fortunate I am. I live in a very solid building. I am safe, the dogs are safe (Noa is currently away for a conference so he's not affected by the quake) and there was only minor damage to stuff. It's nothing compared to the recent devastation in Haiti. I can't even imagine dealing with a devasting quake like that. But, still my heart was pounding. As I lay on my pillow, I sent up yet another prayer, thanking God for being my protector each and every day.