Big Sur Burning

I haven't been watching the news as closely as I usually do, so I was shocked when I got a call from my mom about the number of fires in Northern California right now. The homes at risk or lost, of course, is tragic, but what caught a lump in my throat was that Big Sur was burning. Because of the number of fires they fire departments are spread too thin and the fires that are not threatening populated areas are not being fought with the fury they usually would.
Big Sur is my sanctuary. Even when it's just in my memories that I make the trip, to picture the coastline or the river makes all of my cares just melt away.
Maybe it's because I'm still homesick from time to time, maybe it's because Big Sur is part of my life in California that I occasionally think that I should have been smart enough not to leave behind. No matter what it is that makes me feel this way, my heart breaks at the thought of losing it. I know it wouldn't be forever, of course. Fire is just as much a part of the natural cycle as the rain, but anyone who breathes knows the changes in our climate these days and I can't help but think that some of these places may never recover to their former glory.