When Your Son Goes to Overnight Camp and a Raging Forest Fire Breaks Out Nearby, What to Do?

Thank god for, Twitter...

Yesterday as I was killing time thumbing through my Twitter feed before picking my girls up from Theater Camp, Soccer Camp, Fill Those Summer Days Camp, I came upon a story that was following a newly sparked forest fire up in the mountains.

Cripes, another one, I thought.

And then, rubbing my eyes and re-Googling the location, I realized that this fire is located just 10 miles from where we’d deposited our son for a two week overnight camp the day before.

Forest fire? 10 miles away??? From my SON???!!!

The West is burning right now with these recent 100 degree temps and the Earth is pleading in a scratchy, parched voice “Water!!!” Recent tragedies of the Arizona 29 and others have us public on alert.

And, now, unfortunately, I find myself on REAL alert. For this blaze is burning just miles, mere MILES, away from where my little preemie first born, who is now my confident, strapping son, is thrashing around on canoes and ropes-courses, building his independent, manly ways.

So, here I sit, keys in hand, ready to hop into our Prius or Beast, drive up there, cross all fire-lines, and single handedly PUT OUT any and all flames the way a super-human mom would do, lest that fire gets even AN INCH closer to my son.

I’d probably get arrested. But I’d also be a hero in my book.

Excellent communication from the camp combined with tracking my Twitter have calmed my own mommy-rescue-fires. The fire calmed last night and is nearly contained by a “fire break.” Which means, it’s surrounded by firefighters. (But why am I stuck on “nearly???”)

I will respect the Camp's decision making.  I will not panic. I know he’s in good hands.

But I will keep my own keys and my Twitter-feed nearby…. Just in case………

Namaste – OM