Pressure Check

On this morning's walk down Edgcumbe, I came across a small crew of firemen testing their engine's water hoses. "We have to do a routine check to see how they hold up to the water pressure. We don't want to get into a situation and have a line burst on us, you know?"

The crew was from St. Paul's Engine Company 19. As I made my way by, the first fireman asked that I walk on the other side of the boulevard, "just to be safe....I'd hate to see a line snap and go reeling. It can be ugly. Don't want you to get hurt, miss."

They were sweet. This ensemble of three men, two pink skinned, one brown, all in their blue uniforms. They had set up orange cones to block the road off, and were laying out the hose as I walked by.

"Charlie," (as I heard him called later) appeared to be the eldest,
(perhaps the captain?) As I walked opposite them down the curving
road, I heard him yell to his counterparts, "That's right! We are a
team! We are a team!"

Made me smile. I caught the third one's eyes as I came round a pine
tree, and he smiled back at me.

As I've been mulling over routes, reflecting on traveling and journey
and taking note on my walks and driving, I found myself asking these
questions about this morning's encounter:

What does it mean to do routine pressure checks?
If a particular hose can withstand 400 pounds of pressure, what is the equivalent for a human being?
How do we check our own pressure?
(Is this called a "physical"?)
What is the equivalent of us laying ourselves out flat and running force through our bodies?
Do we swell and expand just like fire hoses? What do our hearts look like under pressure?
How does a mind or spirit expand or contract with pressure?
If we are in tune and can withstand such levels of pressure, what is our power in the face of fire?
Are our bodies capable of being conduits for water flow, a kind of saving energy?
As humans, do we have a routine way of doing this?

What happens if we aren't doing routine checks?

Is there any way we can make sure that we can withstand the fire, and be a positive force, rather than add to mess and damage?
What is it to be certain?

Hmmm......

Just some thoughts from my walk today, and those blessed firemen from Station 19.

Peace,
Melissa