Saturday January 17th is the 10th anniversary of the Northridge earthquake. It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years since a 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit in Northridge, but it has been. That remains the most horrible, and frightening, night of my life. To be awaken by the ground shaking at 4:31 a.m. was terrifying. The ground seemed to jump, shake, and jiggle under my feet.It took me three years to get over the jitters from that night. Seeing the ground move back and forth under your feet is disheartening, to say the least. One comes to believe that the ground is solid. That night the solid ground belief no longer existed in my mind. And that I think that's what was most disheartening about that night. The way it struck me as such a powerful, and horrible, event that I could no longer take for granted that things were solid.
Every litle movement made my heart race. Every little sound made me think that a shock was coming. Everytime I had that bad taste in my mouth I wanted to throw up. That metalic taste of fear that engulfed me for three years.
Now, ten years later, the news shows images of that day and they still strike me right between the eyes. My heart still jumps up into my throat, and I still get that bad taste in my mouth. I still get the shakes, and I still fear the ground moving.
