Photo source: patch.com
Have you ever experienced an earthquake? My midmorning email was interrupted by one. A deep rumble bloomed beneath my chair. The ground rolled. Before I could fully make sense of what was happening, I had leapt to my feet and swayed through our home office. I tried to recall, what are you supposed to do in an earthquake??
I thought of the recent tragedy in Taiwan, and ran under a doorway. For long seconds, everything shook. The earth roared, angry, formidable, seemingly unstoppable.
Finally, all calmed.
Except my heart.
I ran upstairs to check on my son. I could hardly remember what had seemed so important moments before. Adrenaline cleared my mind. I bolted into his room and found him calm. “It wasn’t as big as the one in Beijing,” he reminded me.
I love his equanimity.
Then, quake or no quake, I prepped for my weekend book signing. In the neighboring town where I was heading, a water main break closed down a main street (see photo).
The rarity of an earthquake in NJ peppered our conversations the next day. My Goodbye Orchid book signing was filled with “where were you during the earthquake?” stories!
[ID: author Carol Van Den Hende in a leopard-print dress and pink flower with smiling readers holding copies of Goodbye, Orchid, Orchid Blooming, and Always Orchid in front of YogaSix’s blue anniversary balloons]
Just 3 days after one natural phenomenon, we traveled six hours north for another. Along the path of totality in Vermont, our beautiful sunny day began to wane as the moon’s shadow started to block the sun. Bit by bit, the sky darkened, the air grew cooler, and before we knew it, our rural field was plunged into an eerie, otherworldly twilight. I stood in awe, my eyes fixed on a surreal sight in the sky. Above us, the sun transformed into a corona of light behind the perfect circle of the moon. Have you ever seen anything like this?
[ID: black circle of the moon surrounded by beams of bright white light against a darkened sky]
To chat about earthquakes, eclipses, and more, join me at a future book event! On April 29th, Chapter One Bookstore is hosting myself and a children’s book author for a book signing, silent auction, and free light lunch. Details on this fundraiser for wonderful non-profit Deirdre’s House are available at my website.
As always, I’m wishing you joy, meaning, and orchids,