Terrorism


Today I got a small inkling of how terrorism works.

I was washing the glass-top cover, that slides in over both vegetable and fruit bins in my refrigerator, when I heard a gunshot. But it wasn’t a gun shot, it was exploding glass.

Then glass was flying everywhere: in my hair, on my eyelashes, all over the bathroom, all over me, a pile of glass in the bottom of the toilet. Glass shards clinging to my towels, shower curtain, toothbrush. Horrendous!

Just in case you are thinking: oh she must have taken the cold glass out of the fridge then was washing it with hot water. No. I had taken out the glass -- let it get to room temperature, then placed it in the bathtub on a towel and washed it with lukewarm water.

Very carefully, I removed it from the tub, brought it over to the vanity where I was drying it off.

No, I did not let it torque; I did not drop it or knock it or do anything to it at all. It just exploded on its own just as if someone had shot it with an unseen gun.

I am glad it was “safety” glass, because I ended up with only a half dozen nicks here and there and I don’t require any stitches but maybe a few Scotches.

I got the shakes after it happened because of the element of surprise, the sound and all that glass all over the place…making sick little clicking sound as it kept popping into more and more little glass chips.

I reacted to the small trickle of blood on my chin as if I’d lost an eye.

As I was cleaning up (which took over two hours in order to make sure no glass pieces were left to lodge into feet or paws, ) I kept thinking about why my heart was still beating so fast; why I felt rattled, jumpy, and almost weepy. Why I was over reacting.

Then it came to me.

Fear.

Fear of something I couldn’t prevent, didn’t deserve, hadn’t even thought possible: a rather large piece of glass literally blowing up in my face for no reason.

The terror of it all.

Now every piece of glass in my house is suspect and maybe it should be.

After doing a quick Google search I found that toaster oven doors, shower doors, patio table tops, average drinking glasses and fine stemmed crystal are exploding all over the world.

In fact, almost every type of glass product made has shattered for no reason.

Terrible.

Time for a cocktail but I think I’ll use a Sippy Cup rather than a glass.

I'd like to say: Please be careful dear friends.

But like terrorism, there isn't anything you can do to stop it.