Being Hyper Vigilant

 According to my journal, this time last week I was wondering about new designs for my T-shirt business and how to get people to my Etsy shop. 

I jotted down that I was worried by the 10-day forecast that was showing extreme heat and wondered how to get to my lessons; the air conditioner in Mikey's car doesn't work, and I was worried I'd get sick just going to the next city.

At 4:27 pm last Tuesday, all those thoughts flew out of my head. 

My phone alarm went off, then the building started to move, a lot.

I looked calm; Mikey was teaching young kids, just 5 and 3 years old. I didn't want to scare them by panicking, but internally I was having a meltdown!

Since the initial earthquake, we have had a few aftershocks, which is normal. Only one big enough to sound the alarm on my phone, but a lot of smaller ones.

The first night family and friends sent me messages, asking if we were alright. I'm deeply grateful for those messages and the concern of people but everytime my phone beeped I wondered if it was the start of another alarm!

The past week I've been hyper vigilant. Every creak of the house, everytime a heavy truck goes by I wonder if it's another earthquake. I look at my phone wondering if it's going to alert and say "Earthquake, earthquake" in it's rather posh voice. I'm nervous all the time! The other evening one of the cats slammed into my door and I jumped off my bed! 

This is exhausting, I don't sleep very deeply as a rule, the past week my sleep had been very light! Saturday night we had a few after shocks. One at 10pm, I called Hannah, we were tryng to figure out if we were imagining things or not. Hannah and I have decided that if we feel an earthquake then we will call each other, Then at 1 am and 4 am. I felt the1 o'clock one but not the 4 oclock one!

A week later and I'm exhausted but a bit calmer. I keep telling myself that there is nothing I can do to stop an earthquake, I wish there was but there isn't. I can prepare, I can advise my kids, but they know more than I do, from 1st grade kids are taught about earthquakes, what to do and how to prepare. What else could I do?

The weather is extreme. Yesterday where I live hit 40℃, that's crazy.

This was my Google Hub this morning.

7:14 in the morning and already 31℃. It has just started to rain but I don't know if that will help cool things down or make it humid.

At least I can stay in a room where I have an air conditioner. The cities at the epicenter of the earthquake have no power and no water, it was 40℃ there as well the past couple of days!

I know earthquakes are part of life here in Japan. I wish I could deal with them better. I'm better this time than 10 years ago. 

If there are any spelling or grammar mistakes, sorry, Grammarly isn't working!