We scheduled a massage for 4:30, yesterday. At 3:45, I heard the helicopters. Lots of helicopters. Then, I heard sirens. Living close to the 5 freeway, sometimes this happens with a major accident. Not like this. 8 helicopters. They were not over the freeway. Oh no, it is in the neighborhood. After a bit, I checked the local neighborhood website called Next Door. There was an active shooter incident at our local Trader Joe’s, which is about 10 blocks away, and a place we frequent often, especially on the weekends.
Despite all the helicopters, we left to go get the massage. As we went to the car, a neighbor came running up the street covered in sweat. We asked if he was at the Trader Joe’s. He said there were people in the freezer, it was really bad. We were able to get on to the major street, so the roads weren’t blocked up this far. We arrived at the massage place about a mile away just in time.
All during the massage, I heard the helicopters. I prayed for the people. I visualized the magic hands of the masseuse driving the toxins out of my body and out of Trader Joe’s. I visualized that it would all be fine by the time my massage was over. I breathed.
When I took my phone out in the locker room, it had blown up with messages from our kids. Please text 1 if you get this. Are you okay? Phone messages, emails, texts. They could always rely on us to reply and neither Paul nor I had answered. Our phones were in the lockers. While we got our massages, they freaked out. They all gathered at our house, glued to the TV watching each hostage being released one at a time. Praying we would be released.
I texted immediately that we were fine. We got through the traffic and arrived to hugs and relief all around. It took many hours for the adrenalin to release. Still today, we are all a little shook.
I’m not sure what we should do differently. It was a random situation. The police were following the car and he crashed in front of the Trader Joe’s. Gunshot were exchanged as he ran into the store. The manager was killed in the exchange.
I can only conclude the following:
Live today
live full out
love deeply
make a difference now