A headline in a newspaper several days ago read, "Wake-up Call." It continued, "Friday's magnitude 5.2 earthquake wasn't the 'Big One,' but it raised awareness of a fault-line we've been overlooking."

I know folks here in Kennett who were awakened by that earthquake. I never knew it happened.

One woman, not from around here, said at first she thought it was a tornado and then she thought it was a big truck diving by.

Another said she thought someone was under her bed shaking it. She said it reminded her of being a little girl and thinking there was a monster under her bed.

A man, not from here, said initially he thought is was a raccoon climbing down the gutter drain. Then, he said, he wondered how big does a raccoon have to be to shake the house?"

Turns out the earthquake originated inside the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone and not the New Madrid Seismic Zone. I didn't even know there was a Wabash Valley Seismic Zone!

Of all that I have read about the earthquake, the headline from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has made me think the most: "Wake-up Call."

I have been thinking about how true that headline is not just about the recent earthquake but also about life in general.

Regarding unsuspected diseases that crop up inside a person, it is true.

Regarding the unthinkable happening in what was perceived to be a good relationship, it is true.

Regarding what is perceived to be a peaceful society suddenly being shaken by a terrorist attack if is true."

Sometimes the most serious threats we face come from a "fault-line we've been overlooking," or taking for granted.

The moral of the story might be: Live today taking care of everything that needs to be taken care of today like there is no tomorrow. For some of us, there will not be!

Jack Rollins is the managing editor of the Daily Dunklin Democrat.