October 30, 2019
I never knew that the sound of bombers taking off could be so reassuring. And I never knew that the sound of tinkling chimes could be so ominous.
A massive wildfire here in Sonoma County has been threatening several of our communities for a week now. I’ve been without power for five days, as our utility company PG&E has intentionally cut power to hundreds of thousands of people to avoid having power lines spark new fires. But the scary part has been the winds.
Everyone here remembers the deadly Santa Rosa fire two years ago in which 22 people were killed and over 5,000 homes were destroyed. Those deaths and that destruction were caused by high winds driving the fire to race down from the hills upon unsuspecting residents. And a couple of days ago those Diablo (devil) winds came roaring back, creating great anxiety and near panic as 200,000 people were ordered to evacuate their homes to escape the possibility of impending doom.
We knew the winds were coming, and when the wind chimes began to ring their gentle vibrations, it was not the lovely music that one associates with those pipes. It was a threat, and we knew it.
Later that night, at 3 am, my next door neighbor knocked on my bedroom window to announce that he and his wife were fleeing to safer ground, and he urged me to get out while I still could. I had already packed my car with my passport, photo albums, computer, and other valuables, and now in the darkness and amidst the wildly swaying trees I had a decision to make: heed the warning sirens and evacuation orders and head south to stay with family, or stay and risk being burned alive.
But despite all the cell phone alerts and wailing sirens and news media fear mongering, I wondered how much danger I was really facing. The fire was maybe 30 miles away, and even if the worst case scenario occurred and the devil winds rained fire and brimstone upon our town, I should still have enough time to escape. Unless I didn’t. Was it worth risking my life in order to feel comfortable in my new apartment? Was I really risking my life, or was that belief just a part of mass hysteria?
I recalled sitting in front of my Buddhist altar earlier that evening and breathing, meditating, and chanting with the intention of listening to my inner being and trusting whatever guidance I received as to the wisest course of action. And then, after an hour of worrying, I went back to sleep.
I awakened at 7 am with a reassuring dream: Outside my apartment heavy winds were blowing. There were two tall towers outside my window, one wood and one metal, and the wind toppled first the wood tower and then the metal tower and each crashed next to our building but didn’t damage it. I was greatly relieved to have avoided death and/or devastation, and as I awakened I knew that I was safe and that all would be well in my world.
In the last two days since that dream I have been comforted by the rumbling of Cal Fire bombers taking off nearby to drop fire retardant and water on the huge fire that as of now is about 50% contained. And thankfully the wind chimes are silent. To my knowledge no one has been killed. We’re not out of the woods yet, and we still have no power. But today is a sunny day, and life is good.
Sometimes it is smart to listen to external warnings. And always it is wise to listen to the stillness within.
David Wigginton 