I slept through a big fire last weekend...

Half my block is gone, and no one even bothered to wake me. It has been 3 days and the firemen are still there…making sure the fire wont start again.

Its strange how some situations can open your eyes. You always imagine these things wont happen to you…and you still don’t believe it when its happening. I guess for me, it didn’t really happen. I talked to a police officer at the scene who told me they had considered my building safe…I guess their idea of “safe” is a bit different than mine, in view of the fact that I live 2 houses down from a burnt down building.

Ive always wondered what I would bring with me in case of a fire...If I had 2 minutes to gather something before I had to evacuate, what would I bring? I dont own that many things, but the ones I do own have a lot of meaning to me...obviously Im not personal with my plates or my towels, but I do have a lot of pictures for instance...and memories in shapes of decorations, candles, books. Most of it irreplaceable...not because they're pricey or even particularly old...but because they are attached to a story. And Ive been wondering how I could possibly separate them in value.

Which story is worth more than the others?

How could I possibly choose? You can argue and say that the stories will still be there even if the mementos are gone…but sometimes you need to hold an object in your hands in order to remember details about something…or to even be reminded of stories. I have stuff Ive bought on trips that sparks a memory I wouldn’t be able to recall had it not been for the very thing I bought. I can look at a picture Ive taken and remember what happened right before the picture was taken…or right after. How could I possibly make the same neural connections without the picture? The same goes with objects…the wooden carving I bought in Tanzania…I remember the smell of the store…the smiles on the salespeople…the very shelf it stood on and how I almost tore the whole thing down by accident when I picked out the carving I wanted. I can look at the item and remember this…but if the item goes…how will my mind be able to keep the memory? And how could I value this memory over or under others? Obviously it wasn’t a life changing episode of my existence, but it helps me recall the feel of a country I fell in love with.

I guess what Im trying to say is; Its not the objects but the stories I am afraid of losing…and you cant get insurance on stories.