April Awakening: Day Five 🌥️🌥️🌥️
Yes, there was an earthquake in the New York-New Jersey area today. No, I didn’t feel it whatsoever. Not the first one, anyway. My two co-workers and I were en route to a bar after work. Not a single one of us felt it, but we sure got the alarms on our phones about it. Well, I didn’t, I turned off the alerts a million years ago. But that didn’t stop all the texts from coming in. My dad left me a voicemail and a text message that said, “rock and roll.” My friend was caretaking for the estate he works at and said the whole barn began shaking. My other friend in Chicago just wanted to check in on me. But I was oblivious, apparently. I have absolutely nothing earth-shattering to share, but I certainly couldn’t stop smiling about what I believe led to these good vibrations.
The last time an earthquake hit the east coast was 2011. I was in my New Jersey apartment, trying to nap midday while watching Seinfeld, when suddenly I felt a small shifting, like I was stuck in a gentle washing machine spin cycle. Of course, social media exploded after the rare event, and this time around was no different. Or was it?
I know I literally started off the month by saying there isn’t always meaning in everything, but that leaves the door open for seeing things that do. And this, my friends and readers, certainly felt like a different kind of shakeup. One that finally felt like it had no malintent behind it. Like a wink and a boom from above, not below. I can’t prove it, but then again no one can prove their theories about what just happened. Some think this is New York City being punished for being terrible, and while I can’t fault them for thinking that, I think their agitation is misplaced. Perhaps all we need is a little clarity on what’s really rattling us instead of worrying about what’s entirely out of our control.
When earthshaking moments like this happen and I’m taking a THC tolerance break, I can’t help but wonder if my own clarity is what’s helping spur things along. I know it’s impossible for me to know if these things would happen if I were shrouded in a cloud of marijuana smoke, but it does give me a twinge of speculation about it. I’m not saying I’m solely responsible for this or whatever may occur as a result, I truly think everyone has a hand in it. We’ve all brought something to the table to cause the earth to move beneath us, just like all our collective thoughts and energy has brought our social climate to where we are now.
While we can’t always know what causes these phenomena, it’s always a rockin’ good time to be alive to experience them. I just like to believe a pair of clear eyes viewing them makes things all the more significant. I’m sure I’ll have a lot to say about Monday’s solar eclipse too, though I can’t directly look at it no matter what state of mind I’m in. Guess I’ll have to settle for the cataclysm of social media posts that’s sure to come with it.