Mother Nature

With all its awe and grandeur, Mother Nature is not a lady to mess with. She can be calm and serene but she is also one bad ass, big ass BITCH!

After almost 3 years in Costa Rica, I experienced my first real earthquake. It happened back in January (the 8th sometime after 1 pm) and it was a big one. Mother Nature had come out swinging; she had something to say and boy did people sit up, shut up and take notice. When she 'speaks', we listen... and she is never far from reminding us mere mortals just what a bad ass she can be.

When a natural catastrophe hits, it really leaves one feeling helpless... and if by chance, luck or divine blessing, you escape unharmed, you realize just how much respect mother nature deserves.

It was just another ordinary day and I was out hanging clothes on the line when it hit. At first I thought it was a tremor (as we get those a bit, especially around the end of the year). But as it went on, and got stronger I realized it was a freaking earthquake and my instinct was to scream and keep screaming until it finally stopped. My ordinary turned extra-ordinary in a matter of seconds. The quake measured 6.1 on the Richter scale. Thankfully hubby was home with the kids so I didn't feel so alone and scared.

We were lucky. We were far away from the epi-center, so we sustained VERY little damage. A few photos fell off the wall, some shattered glass... nothing catastrophic. But I did sustain my first natural disaster injury when a toppled decorative glass bottle fell off the top of the kitchen cabinet and broke a dish I was holding, slicing my hand.

But all in all, not bad. And watching the news that afternoon, I thought the worse had been over and Costa Rica escaped unscathed. But no one really knew the extent of the damage, until the next day... and the country fell into mourning as the death count rose higher and higher. Each day after that, people were either missing or found dead. All Costa Rica had been affected, the quake so strong it even shook parts of Nicaragua as well.

Over 30 people died. A whole restaurant fell off the side of a mountain, killing everyone inside, including children. Roads were split open, cars and buses thrown off the sides into ravines and ditches. Once crystal white rivers were muddied, the result of mudslides. Whole roads disappeared, bridges swept away, towns cut off from civilization and people trapped. Many were injured and many lost their properties. And as I watched people weep over their lost loved ones and precious belongings, I could only pray and thank God we had been spared.

I had witnessed Natural disaster before and been in the midst of the aftermath. The mess is always a pain... recovering bodies, cleaning up, trying to put back all the broken pieces. And the fear lingers. We had aftershocks for days, leaving me on edge. It was all just devastating.

The first strong tremor I felt in Costa Rica was when I was pregnant with Princess. I had felt tremors before but this one felt like it was on the verge of becoming an earthquake. It was 10 'o' clock at night and I noticed the photos atop the entertainment center dancing, the pictures on the walls shaking.... my first thought was, how was I, as pregnant as I was, going to carry my 7 year old sleeping boy to safety? Thankfully it, it never escalated into an earthquake, and was gone as quick as it had come.


But how do people different react to disaster? Why am I such a basket case when it comes to things like these. I don't react, I freeze up. Me. A strong woman who bore 3 children naturally. I become like a meek little child in the face of potential danger.

I respect Mother Nature, all her joys and awe and wonders. But I know deep down lies the darkness. So why don't we do more to appreciate and take care of her. Why do we deface her, pollute her, poison her, maim and kill her wondrous creations. Why do we fill her with waste and garbage and leave her to rot in so many places? Why aren't we trying to help her heal faster? Is it because we think we're bigger than her. When it comes to nature, we know nothing. We're just as clueless as a 5 year old in a calculus class.

But just wait. She's like a woman on PMS when she's wants to be... and when she erupts, there is no place to run for cover.