I have tried to imagine what it would be like if I lost all of my belongings in a fire. I remember a time when I thought I would be devastated; however, recently I’ve thought that it wouldn’t be that bad, if not even positively freeing. I think a big part of change has to do with the fact that I’ve worked on not being attached to things in general, and also because I have been realizing my own, personal value that is not measured by my possessions, if any are even a reflection of my taste.
While on vacation in Bermuda earlier this month, a thought suddenly occurred to me: “what if my place is on fire?” Seeing as how there was no rational reason for this concern, nor was there anything I could do from the ocean, somewhere near the Bermuda Triangle, I let the thought pass.
The day I returned home (Sunday), I went to borrow my landlord’s lawnmower that is kept in my neighbor’s backyard shed. So that I wouldn’t alarm the tenants who were home, I spoke to them directly to let them know I what I was up to. Well, the people I met who I thought were just friends of my neighbors were actually new tenants. Anyway, we got to talking, and they explained to me that while I was away, the smoke alarms in my half of the house went off. Fortunately, my back door was unlocked so when they called the landlord, he gave them permission to go in my place and turn them off. (I don’t mind, especially since the cats were probably losing their minds!) I couldn’t help but wonder if that occurred around the same time the thought entered my head. I offered in conversation that perhaps smoke entered through open windows to set off the alarms, since there was no source in the house to set them off.
The next day, at group (Monday), the topic was attachment, and since the idea was fresh in my head, I shared how I measured my level of attachment to my things by imagining I lost everything in a fire.
Thinking that was all to the possible coincidence, the rest of the week proceeded normally.
The following Sunday evening, Brian and I dropped some stuff off at our new apartment. I returned home as dusk was turning to night, and I smelled smoke as I approached the house. I wondered where it was coming from, and was worried enough that when I opened the door in the grayish darkness before turning on a light, I thought I saw smoke filling the room. Fortunately, that thought disappeared as soon as I turned on a light and I realized that the milky darkness was playing a trick on my eyes. Walking to the back of my house, I discovered that the source of the smoke was a little backyard firepit my neighbors’ were using. Hmm…. I wonder if they used it while I was away, and that’s what triggered the alarms? Case closed.
The very next day (Monday), I finished reading the second book in the Inheritance fantasy trilogy (Eldest by Joseph Paolini), which I began on vacation. In anticipation of reading the next and final book in the series, I looked it up in the library’s online catalog. The next book is titled Brisingr… elven for “Fire”.
