the world outside

Last night I felt the largest earthquake I've yet to feel in Wellington just after I'd gone to bed. As I lay there wondering whether these things built up then faded away, started big and then tailed off or built up to something larger, the decision as to whether I ought to get out of bed or not became unnecesary as it faded off to a distant mumble instead of sounding like the house was travelling down the road on the back of a lorry. Somehow it felt like it was from far away and I fell asleep wondering where it was focused and if Tonga was taking another blast or the if the volcano was errupting in Indonesia. Checking the website this morning shows it was miles away, but not that far...

It was a bit spooky really as I'd been at the Civil Defence Meeting earlier in the evening and part way through a big discussion about future planning of training one of our new Street Patrol volunteers said 'that's all very well but can someone tell me briefly what I'm looking for in case it happens tomorrow?' - thanks Judy, say it a bit quieter next time will you?

I really struggled with the Meeting, not because of the content or anything like that but the manner of it. Everyone was talking over each other, various people seemed to think they should be controlling it which made life a tad difficult for the convenor and keeping people focussed and on track was a nightmare. I had forgotten how long it had been since I'd been in a business meeting that wasn't Quaker and whilst I may complain about the lack of disciplin in many Quaker business Meetings even the worst of those was better than last night! I guess it was a good reminder to be grateful for what we have even when it feels like it could be better.