Image Credit Rob Stennett. View from his backyard of the wildfire.

It’s weird. The eastern sky lit up on fire last night. The wildfire dosen’t rip through like a tornado or hurricane or tsunami. No one is dead. Most people have time to stand in the middle of their houses and ask themselves–what should I take with me? What matters?

Sometimes you have hours, days to think about this.

The fire is zero percent contained. Every morning you wake up hoping the good guys are starting to win. It doesn’t happen. The fire keeps crawling slowly, lazily, gobbling up another house, consuming a piece of the Colorado forest like a glutton. It’s made its way to the south edge of Denver.

I look at a map of places nearby; neighbors who I’ve never thought about. Only now I wonder what they’re thinking as they pack their homes and call a friend and asking a favor to sleep on a couch. They leave knowing their lives are safe. Their homes are in jeopardy.

All we can do is wait. And wait. Wait.

My friend Rob Stennett is an author, director, and cohost on the 9 Thumbs podcast we record (almost) each week. He lives in Colorado Springs, where a wildfire rages, 0% contained, very close to his home. He wrote this today, and allowed me to share it with all of you.