50th Post Celebration: Earthquake Shoes

I wore my Earthquake Shoes the other night. They're the pair of old sneakers that Tiffany made me put under our bed just in case we have an earthquake in the middle of the night and need shoes to escape our apartment.

We also made a special Target trip one weekend to stock up on Earthquake Supplies. We bought bottles of water and peanut butter and protein bars and a little first-aid kit. We took an old backpack out of our closet and stuffed those items inside, along with a couple of flashlights we had on hand and a spoon (for the peanut butter).

The peanut butter was my idea. Growing up in Kansas, I had a friend whose family kept jars of peanut butter under the seats of their car, just in case they got stuck in a snow storm or a tornado. I always thought that was strange. But after the first time Tiffany and I felt our apartment rattle around us in a little San Francisco shake, we started thinking about what we might need in an emergency. She mentioned food and I remembered the peanut butter.

We devised an Earthquake Plan, too. If we are not together, we'll each make our way to the park up the hill from our apartment and wait. Hopefully one of us is home to grab the backpack. If not, no peanut butter. Anyway, the plan is to wait at the park for each other for... we never can decide how long. I just can't visualize leaving if Tiffany wasn't there. What would I do? Look at my watch, sigh, and say, "That Tiffany. Always late. Well, gotta run!"

If we're together when the earthquake strikes, that would be better. I always feel safer with Tiffany around. Together, we'd know exactly what to do: jump from the bed, step into our Earthquake Shoes, grab our Earthquake Supplies and run from the building as it crumbles down around us.

Now, as to what we'll do once we're standing naked in our sneakers on the street... well, we're still planning for that contingency. In any case, every time I wear the Earthquake Shoes, I put them back under the bed where they belong.