The Tea Fire

The Tea Fire here in SB is finally under control (I call it at 80% – I know that’s not a 100% but that is pretty darn good compared to completely uncontrolled).  I don’t know about others, but I struggled with how to feel all weekend.  On the one hand I felt so happy that we didn’t end up having to evacuate, much less lose our home.  On the other hand, I felt so awful for those who did lose their homes (no lives lost, fortunately) and I ended up sneezing and wheezing all weekend from allergies to the air quality, which added a layer of yuck to the whole thing.  It was a crazy surreal weekend, filled with thoughts like… is it okay if I decide we will still go out to eat this weekend, like we do as a family just about every weekend?  And yes, we did go out to eat.   And we saw a lot of others do the same but there was more greetings and “is your home safe?  I am so glad to see you!” even from the staff.  What amazing grace and strength we have as human beings, what wonderful small tales will go untold during this tragedy.   So I can embrace the feel good and feel bad at the same time.  Guess that just makes me human (-: