In a Blink

It's day one of the bar exam for PA and CA attorneys-to-be. Bar examiners read their instructions this morning, which included the phrase that no extra time will be allotted for, among other things, earthquakes. Well, that is exactly what happened to Los Angeles bar testers at 11:42 am PST, this morning. According to a recent Penn State grad, no one was injured, and he kept on writing. Now that takes heart! The majority of my family lives in Southern Cal, and everyone is okay, though in the words of my grandmother, "it sure got our attention!" In a blink, life can change.

The quake, measured by the USGS as a 5.8 "moderate" quake, did not cause any major damage, which gives us much to be grateful for. What shakes me, only metaphorically, is how instantaneously it all happens. There are no real warnings for earthquakes; of course, scientists have been predicting "the big one" for a long time, but that can't count. We are at the mercy of the forces of nature, and being at the wrong place at the wrong time, can change everything. It doesn't make me want to hide, but it does impress upon me how much I have to be grateful for every day that I wake up healthy and able to work.

So, to our west-coast readers, stock up on your bottled water and canned foods. Always keep a flashlight handy, have emergency plans in place for your family, but most importantly, thank God for the health and safety that is so easy to take for granted.

Thank you to ABC news for the image.