Fear

I've become quite familiar with this emotion in the last month. I was visiting in Missouri and Oklahoma just as the weather spewed forth tornadoes and flash floods. I spent evenings tucked into basements. One eye was glued to the weather report and the other to the skies.
I was glad to get home to Colorado where tornadoes seldom occur.
Then the Black Forest fire started. I'd already lived through the Waldo Canyon fire last year where the black smoke obliterated the sun and clogged the air. Now we are facing another and it is even worse. The Black Forest/Royal Gorge fire is now considered the worst in the history of Colorado. 360+ homes destroyed, countless structures, and there has been loss of at least two lives.
I try to write while keeping one ear on the news and frequent treks to the deck to watch the sky.
It's a different fear than what I felt for the midwest storms. Fire seems to be more traceable. Yet I'm not deceived. Wind change can blow sparks and it has already jumped water and road.
My home is within 3 miles of the voluntary evacuation line. We talk about what we'll take. I know as long as I've got my dog and the wonderful young men living with me that I'm good to go.
After all, I remind myself, nothing else really matters.