Earthquakes are the movement of the earth’s crust. They may be on land or under the sea (where they can cause tsunamis). The magnitude or strength of an earthquake is measured by the Richter scale.  Each numerical jump is on the order of ten (i.e., a 7.0 earthquake is ten times more powerful than a 6.0). 

The Richter scale goes from 1 to 8 and even higher! Since 1900 the earth has averaged the following:

• One “great” earthquake each year
• 18 “major” earthquakes (7-7.9) each year
• 120 “strong” earthquakes (6-6.9) each year
• 49,000 “minor” earthquakes (3-3.9) each year.

That’s not all – there seem to be no pause to these earthly events as there are 8,000 “very minor” (1-2) earthquakes every DAY! Every Day!!

So, you see our earth is far from an inert mass – it’s “dancing” all the time. We live on a constantly shimmering, shuddering, pulsating planet.

All Shook Up

Are our lives any different? We may experience a cataclysmic “great” event every year or so. An event that can shake us to our very core. It might be getting a new job or being fired from an old one, the birth of a child or the death of a loved one -pleasant or unpleasant, these are often life-changing.

Thankfully great events are rare, but we experience less earth-shattering “major” or “strong” events that touch and shake us up in many ways.  And many more “minor” events that we may experience every day or every hour!

Even among those seemingly settled people we know, living quiet, perhaps dull lives, there is so much more than meets the eye. Under the surface (no matter how deeply covered) you’ll find a roiling, crashing, cascading collection of dreams, passions, fears, hopes, tragedies, and triumphs.

Under the surface, you will always find a noble spirit yearning to break free. 

Can we break through our crust, our limitations?

Yes,  we can, but for too many, the answer is “no,” they will continue to exist and live lives of “quiet desperation” as Thoreau deemed it.

Then there are others who may look into their hearts and declare, “I will grow out of this rut, I will reach for the stars, I will thrive.”

It is not necessary for us to wait for a major earthquake to change our lives – even a minor message can get through and begin our process of healing and growth – we just need to hang on to it and stay for the ride.