My First Earthquake

"Are you shaking your leg?"

"No, Bob. I am not doing that. Are you sure it's not your game?"

"They're probably just working on that driveway again today."

I continue reading as the couch continues to shake beneath me. I hear the china rattle. "No, really? That's not you?!"

I'm finally upright going toward the china cabinet as I feel my whole house shake around me. I push it toward to wall as I watch a plant on a decorative table next to me continue to wobble.

"What the heck is it? Do you see anything out there yet?" The videogame has been paused as my husband searches the exterior.

We have two dogs. They do nothing the entire time.

It ends. I am confused. So, of course, I take my confusion to the Internet.

Before I can even tell my husband that I have just submitted my facebook query, the responses come flooding in. Affirmations of earthquakes, disbelief from friends in Virginia and Maryland that we, here in New York felt it too, and, of course, because this is a novelty to us here on the East Coast, lots of "Wasn't it cool?!" type of comments.


It was kind of cool, but also kind of bizarre. I remember recently when re-reading the first Chapter of Clan of Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel, I was struck by the unworldliness of the Earthquake experience to one who had never felt it before. I remember thinking to myself, "I might be just as scared and confused. It will most likey be a very unnatural feeling for me." However, it was strangely familiar.

This may be because I was in my home, on the first floor, laying down reading. It may be that if I were to feel a much stronger earthquake, or if I were in a skyscraper, I would still have these unworldly feelings. The feeling I had though, was that of a subway train traveling under my house. It was confusing, that's for sure, but not completely new.

And so, I can happily say, with no harm to home or, more importantly, anyone I love, I can strike this one off my bucket list. It is frighteningly true, that somewhere in the deep recesses of my desires was this inkling that I would have missed out on all that life has to offer if I had never felt the world shake beneath me.

Now, I just have to ready myself for that crazy Hurricane Irene.

How do you prepare for natural disasters?

Is there one type of natural phenomenon that you have yet to experience that you are curious about?

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