Randomly throughout a normal day in Kathmandu, I think about what I would do if there were suddenly an earthquake. We are due for a big one any day now. Would I stay put and cover my head, run for the door, hunker down next to a heavy dresser so debris would fall on it and not me? What if Ryan was in another room, would I be able to get to her? I come up with all sorts of plans for how to get down the fire escape with Ryan if one of our carriers weren't close by. I think about what I would break a window with if I couldn't get it open. I ponder different scenarios under which I would or would not grab the cats and the "go" bag. Then I wonder, would I really DO anything that I planned? Would I be able to think straight, would I be able to physically or mentally go anywhere? Well tonight I got my answer. I was nursing Ryan to sleep in her room around 7pm when the bed and everything else began to shake. I immediately scooped her up and ran for the door. Keith met me in under the door frame of Ryan's room, where we stayed for a few minutes to assess the situation. Everything seemed to be ok. It turned out that I did not think about any previous plans I had made and my instincts to grab my baby and run completely took over. It ended up being a very short, small (4.6) earthquake centered just over the border in China. No damage was done to our apartment that we could see. As Keith says, nothing really moved, even a birthday card on a bookshelf in the living room stayed put. Although, I think my heart rate did budge a bit. It felt like a test. A reminder that a big one could hit at anytime. At least now I know what to do if that happens. Trust my instincts, as if I have a choice.
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