Reflection

With it being fire prevention week I find it difficult not to think about how quickly your life can change and how, in an instant, you can loose everything you thought was important and gain a new perspective more valuable than anything you could ever dream of.

I try not to think about what could have happened but my mind always returns to the same thing - my god we were home. If a few friends had not stopped by that day and had we not decided to B-B-Q in the yard and play drinking games until somebody puked (yes juvenile I admit) Chris and I would have been in bed asleep and then who knows what would have happened. Thankfully our foolish attempts to reclaim our youth saved us.

I think the worst part of the whole ordeal was, as we watched the house engulfed in flames, knowing that our cat was still inside. The fire fighters were incredible. They new we were upset about our cat and we understood that finding Magic was not their first priority. They were so sympathetic and optimistic to boot. They checked in with us regularly to let us know they hadn't found any signs she had perished and had convinced us how resourceful animals were and how she had probably gotten out of the house on her own.

After the fire was out the fire fighters completed their checks of the house (not sure the correct lingo) like making sure there were no areas of the structure that might collapse and that there were no lingering embers, and then they started to clear out. At this point Chris and I were so exhausted, physically and emotionally, and were basically resigning ourselves that we had officially lost everything, including the cat.

Then, like a scene from a movie, the last firefighter walked out of what was left of the house clutching something in his arms. He walked right over to us and there, soaking wet and looking like a drowned rat, was Magic. The poor thing had hidden under a couch in the corner of the house furthest from where the fire started. Then they took us to the ambulance and, now I can say it must have been the funniest thing to look at, they put an oxygen mask on Magic just to make sure she was ok. It was at that moment that I knew, although we had difficult road ahead of us to rebuild our home, we were going to be fine.

What I didn't know was how incredible our family, friends and colleagues were going to be. In less than a month we had a new apartment and, as a result of the generosity of the aforementioned, enough stuff to furnish it and start over. It did take some adjusting to get comfortable in an apartment filled with things that are not "yours" so to speak but we felt so lucky we made it work.

It has been 5 years since the fire and although I still sometimes feel sad that I don't have the tangibles I collected throughout my life, I am grateful for the memories that will always be with me. Memories that have help shape the person I have become and have helped me to define the person I want to be.

The Crash site of Unrequited Love

Most of you have been where I am tonight. The crash site of unrequited love. You ask yourself, How did I get here? What was it about? Was it her smile? Was it the way she crossed her legs, the turn of her ankle, the poignant vulnerability of her slender wrists? What are these elusive and ephemeral things that ignite passion in the human heart? That's an age-old question. It's perfect food for thought on a bright midsummer's night.

- Martin Sage and Sybil Adelman