Fire 8 – Stressed Out and Moving Forward
by Angie Brenner
November 4, 2007
Lani, owner of Julian's Soups & Such restaurant, sat behind the counter eating wheat pancakes under a mound of fresh fruit. She called out our orders to her husband and chef, Ibrahin, without leaving her perch."Aren’t you tired?" she says. "I'm exhausted." - a sentiment I have felt throughout the post-fire week as I move through my daily routine in slow motion. The fact that internet DSL connections were down throughout most of this community and the San Diego County administrative offices, helped to slow us all down.
Even tough-skinned rancher Ray Meyers looked beaten down yesterday while he ruminated over the events of the week from his fruit and vegetable stand. Ray always stays to protect his property and was a hero in the 2003 fire when faced with flames which overtook old oak trees in his back yard. He managed to keep the flames from jumping the highway and burning down houses along the road. The fact that he wasn't challenged to repeat this event hadn't lessened the anxiety.
My Saturday morning yoga class was grateful for the abbreviated, beginner class that helped ease the stress from our bodies. Lying in savasana (corpse pose), we felt tensions evaporate. Choosing ways to deal with PTSD (post traumatic stress Disorder) whether minor or major has become a way of life here. Free acupuncture sessions were made available at one of the local fire stations, and while I can’t picture Ray Meyers with needles poking out of his temples, there’s no doubt that we've come a long way in accepting new techniques in stress management.
Many of us ran into friends at the library since librarian Colleen Baker rallied to keep the community connected to the web by obtaining a Microsoft van equipped with computers. On Saturday, Julie and Rob Weaver were there scouring the net to price out lost antiques and household items for their insurance company. Teenagers zoned-out by playing online video games. Our schools, without the internet for the week, returned to old fashioned teaching methods.
Low-tech seemed to prevail during this fire when cell phones were blocked in order to keep emergency lines open; rotary dial phones (most kids today don't even know what these look like) or plug-in landline phones worked best. Without phones, television, and internet, we have learned that disseminating information and sharing our stories between neighbors by word-of-mouth has given us quality information (difficult to get in emergencies), and a closer connection on a human level.