Sitting here in front of the computer reading, in a dazed and mostly asleep state of mind, I heard a siren scream down the road … saw the flashing lights as it passed. It took me a moment to remember that we no longer live in the apartment, where sirens screaming down the road were a regular occurrence. No, we now live on a street where I haven’t heard a siren –on our street or even nearby– in the entire time we have lived here. Firetrucks, cops, and ambulances with flashing lights and moving in a hurry? That happens a few times a year, but they never ever use the sirens.

By the time my desire to rush to the window kicked in, whatever it was had already passed well beyond our house. I stepped out onto the front porch just in time to hear the siren wail the last time and see lights flashing on the far, far end of the street. Of course, I hadn’t bothered to grab my glasses on my way outside, so the fact there were lights flashing was about all I could see. They looked like big twinkling stars. Incidentally, so does our street light. I really am quite blind without my little lenses.

I trudged back inside and got my glasses. In order to see what it was making all the commotion, I had to walk all the way out to the street. Still had trouble seeing what was going on, as not only does that end of the street go much further than our end before terminating, it’s at the bottom of the hill we live on. It’s not that much of a hill, but it is just enough to make seeing anything going on beyond the t-intersection a few houses away almost impossible. I did manage to discern, from the pattern of the flashing lights, that it was an ambulance, and it was alone. No cop cars or firetrucks. Obviously not good for whoever is having a health crisis, but at least it wasn’t a fire or an ugly crime. I guess that sounds callous, but that end of the street –only a block away– is a world unto itself. Tonight, I only have enough strength to care about my end of the street.

There’s no reason I should be awake this late. I had such a long day. I was so incredibly busy and active … and got so much done. In another five minutes, I’d have finished reading the Metafilter thread I’ve had open much of the evening. Then I would have been in bed, happily asleep. Now my state of near sleep has been broken by the sound of a screaming siren and a jaunt out into the somewhat chilly night air in too few clothes.

The TV is blaring. Lin is asleep on the couch. The cats have given up on the humans going to bed and have retired to the bedroom for the night without us. I bet they didn’t even flinch when the siren screamed by our house. I didn’t flinch either. I had a very delayed reaction. This makes me realize I live in a much safer place than I used to live, where sirens were a daily –sometimes hourly– event. The thought makes me happy, until I realize someone just down the street is being loaded into an ambulance, and their emergency was do dire, the never-heard sirens were sounded. I should feel something, if only interest and intrigue in the events going on a block away, and yet, I don’t. I’m so very tired.

I think I’ll have a cup of hot chamomile tea and try to approach that state of near sleep again. I still need to finish reading that Metafilter thread anyway. Tomorrow is another day full of work and sweat and getting things done. Better drink the tea quickly, and read those last few comments without refreshing the page, and then … joining the cats in the bedroom for some much-deserved sleep.