It would appear today’s tremor was felt very strongly in parts of NYC. With an epicenter located somewhere in Virginia and ranking a respectable 5.9 on the infamous Richter scale, this one never even registered on my own radar as I was on the phone with a French interlocuteur from my office in Chelsea.

But it would seem others were quite alarmed and our adored cat Don Estorbo de la Bodega Dominicana, following his unflinching animal instincts, eeeeeeeped very worriedly and collapsed in the close-to-the-ground, make-no-waves, something-is-really-wrong, I-am-scared=sh***less disturbed walk around the apartment.

One lesson to remember, and maybe an item to add to everyone’s Emergency Preparedness checklist, courtesy of my dear Marie:

– When the earthquake starts and things begin to shake all around you, immediately get on gmail and email the landlord that the evil construction site across the street is about to throw his building down. [No jokes, it’s on record. ;-)]

Everyone has got to have priorities. I was only distant second after the landlord and got an email at work in the past tense. “I packed the cat in his carrier,” she said, “threw on clothes. I thought it was coming down, dust and plaster fell. Cat ran and howled.”

Sobering reminder that where and when and if and why just don’t matter. The Earth is ever so powerful, and as moody as a child. Us earthlings are nothing but flimsy elements in a planet-wide house of cards. Where and when are random. The why is a matter of opinion. And the if, it would seem, returns true for all other values.

That’s exactly where preparedness and zen must balance each other out. Prepare for the worst, rehearse the heck out of it, then forget about the whole thing. Zen is about the moment, and detachment. Aïkido, too, teaches one to live in the moment, spontaneously. When trouble comes, fear not. Training and instinct will team up and prevail.

One landlord’s email address is ever only one click away.