The Eerie Feeling Left Behind After a California Quake
Earthquake anxiety is real and completely normal
As I sat at my kitchen island this morning, watching the water sway back and forth in my pool and my house plants shifting on the windowsill, an eerie feeling washed over me.
This was a long one.
A 4.7 magnitude earthquake in Malibu jolted Southern California this morning, leaving residual aftershocks that were felt even in Orange County, where I reside. A mere 50 miles from my home, this one was pretty close.
Just yesterday, I felt that same eerie feeling after driving toward the Airport Fire in Trabuco Canyon, which was also too close to home. As I drove to meet a friend for lunch, I saw a large mushroom cloud of smoke resembling a volcano eruption.
Goosebumps swelled on my arms, and my emotions were heightened. I often want to move to an area with open land, to be out of the landlocked concrete city, but then I risk being too close to a fire.
It seems to get worse every year. Just last week the temps reached 95–100°F in Southern California. The heat tends to rise here in…
