How My Inner GPS Saved Me From A Fire

Photo taken in my backyard, in freezing Quebec, Canada. Stay tuned for new travel vlogs coming up, subscribe to my Youtube channel to be notified!

It’s been an interesting week which started with waking up Monday morning 6am with A FIRE IN MY HOUSE.

Everything turned out ok — here’s no major damage to the house, and everyone is safe —  but I can tell you that I’ve learned a lot about myself and how I respond in an emergency.

First, I learned that I react FAST.

I smelled the smoked and JUMPED out of bed like a MAD WOMAN (my hair certainly look mad) — but, before RUNNING down the stairs to locate the fire, I stopped to pee. (#priorities)

It sounds like an odd choice, but that 30 seconds sitting on the toilet gave me the time I needed to prepare my game plan.

Still in my bathrobe, I barrelled down the stairs and decided to let the dogs out so THEY too could go pee but mostly, I needed to get them OUT OF MY WAY as I searched for the fire, which I couldn’t locate for the life of me.

There was smoke, LOTS OF SMOKE — especially in my fiancé’s office, which made no sense ’cause I COULDN’T SEE ANY FLAMES.

There were so many thoughts popping in my head as I ran back upstairs to throw on a pair of Yoga Jeans (stylish AND practical) and a pair of wool socks — cause it’s FUCKING COLD here in Quebec right now —  all the while dialing 911 and responding to waaaaaay too many questions from the rude operator.

(“Can’t you send the damn fire truck already? And why are you rude? There’s a fire SOMEWHERE IN MY HOUSE, be nice!” ← Nice is apparently optional in times of crisis. Someone needs to explain this to me.)

Next, I had to find the cats, put them in a cage and get them out. (I only caught one…damn you MR. MINOU.)

Once the dogs and Chellicat were safe in the car with the heat on full blast, I ran back into the house to try yet again to locate the fire. (And grab a few items…I grabbed Lamchop, who turns 48 years old this year and is irreplaceable, and a bottle of water cause all that running MAKES YOU THIRSTY.)

After what took way too long in my opinion (huh, fire people?), there finally arrived not one, not two, not three but FOUR firetrucks and over a dozen of firefighters all geared up, some of them quite good looking I might add.

Once the firefighters arrived, I was kicked out of the house (but only after I made sure they knew that “THERE’S ONE MORE CAT IN THE HOUSE”) but was allowed to watch from outside one of the patio windows as the firefighters went about the job of locating the fire.

It was FASCINATING TO WATCH.

Pros at work. Organised, calm, intentional in their actions.

Six guys in the house (making a mess of my floor) and about 8 more outside, geared up and gathered around a temporary station they had set up in about a minute. This station is where they draw a plan of the house and take notes of where they’ve looked, what’s clear and what’s left to check. It’s cold (-15 to be exact), it’s dark, and these guys are ON IT.

Turns out, the fire was caused by an old heater that overheated UNDER a trap located UNDER my fiancé’s work desk. And get this: because my fiancé puts a thick plastic cover over the trap door so that the wheels of his chair don’t damage the floor, the fire was contained in that little basement. The fire didn’t have enough oxygen to grow and move into the walls, hence the smoke but no flames.

#helloluck

Altogether, the firefighters were in and out within an hour, and I was left with a mess and a grateful heart.

As I’m sitting here today looking back on that morning, I’m realising that…

I’m pretty good under pressure — I don’t panic, and I act fast. It’s like something takes over me, and I get in the zone. (Remind me to tell you about the time my sister and I saved a husky; it’s a good story, and it illustrates my point about staying cool even in the midst of danger.)

I can be fully present in the face of danger but not be afraid.

I’m clear headed: I listen, and I hear the instructions. I don’t blank or get confused.

Now, the fun part of cleaning begins, but you know what? I learned another valuable lesson: to trust the experts and let them do their job.

So, I have cleaning experts coming in.

I have an electrician (who, turns out, is ALSO quite handsome) doing a full inspection of the house and updating the electrical system.

My insurance guy is making excellent recommendations and, SURPRISE, he’s actually kind and reassuring and VERY HELPFUL. I feel in good hands.

And I have contractor coming in to repair the damage to the house.

My job? To give them them the space to do what they do best.

I can’t say that I’m sleeping soundly, and I’ve been feeling a little tired, like my nervous system went through an ordeal and now it needs time to recharge.

I have the occasional fearful thought pop up, especially at night, but I’m keenly aware that some of those fears may or may not be trustworthy.

So, I turn to my own inner expert — my inner wisdom — and breathe in the calm and peacefulness. ‘Cause in any situation, emergency or not, that’s the best thing we can do.

Caroline

PS: Just like I wouldn’t attempt to repair the structural damage of my house or rewire its electrical system, when it comes to things that are “out of my league” in my business, I ask for help, and I team up with experts. Trying to figure it all out alone can be a royal pain in the ass; plus, it’s a total waste of my valuable time.

I know my own limitations (and I have many), and I know that, to create leaps and bounds, I’ll need to try something new. (If you do what you did, you’re gonna get what you got.)

If you are ready to create new leaps in your business in 2018, check out my new small group program called Launch & Prosper. We’re starting in the new year, and registration is open now.

2PS: This parka kept me warm from the freezing cold but I need to mention that the fur (which works great to protect from the wind) is recycled. There’s no need to buy new fur, there are many recycled fur we can reuse or better, reuse your old mom or grandmother’s fur coat. #recycledfur #harricana