Looking north in Santa Rosa and Altadena drive Jan 12, 2025 (Photo – Melissa Michelson)
I have been struggling here in Paris for a few days now because people I know are sleeping on couches, hosted by friends. Others have nothing left. Nothing. I have ashes in my heart. I have trouble breathing in Paris. My heart has been torn between Paris and Pasadena for over a decade.
By Christopher Bonin
What I know is that the Pasadena firefighters (Fire Station 31) where I had the chance to do an internship in the past left a huge mark on my heart. I claim to know their courage, their kindness and their love of life.
Fallen trees block the streets around Caltech in Pasadena. And what about the town of Altadena.… I am astounded by the current state of these places that have taught me another way of living.
Blurring the seasons
Climate change blurs the seasons and generates stronger weather events that disrupt life. I remember what my grandfather used to tell me: “By mistreating nature, sometimes it takes revenge.” Wind and fire destroy entire neighborhoods, ambitions, lives and dreams. Memories go up in smoke while others will remain in mind. I saw the images on television in France, all tinged with an orange color that translates the intensity of the ambient situation. I saw the panic, the solidarity, the courage, the tears and the sweat. I saw the firefighters of California running everywhere to try to save what could still be saved. I saw the National Guard blocking the streets. I heard evacuation orders generated by the authorities. I saw charred cars pushed like toys by bulldozers to allow fire trucks access.
An exceptional State
California is an exceptional State that could be totally independent of America if it wanted to be. It has ample means to do so. This state has always known how to generate hopes, nurture ambitions, create dreams, and change lives all over the world. We will certainly have to grit our teeth to rebuild, to heal all the wounds. We will have to improvise nights on a friend’s couch. We will have to continue to believe in ourselves. We will have to continue to write the present and the future, continue to write all the scenarios to make America and the whole world dream. We will have to continue to live with other paths and other roads that Californians will build, with talent.
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