The earth is shaking. As far as documented earthquakes go in Peru, there were 8 earthquakes last year ranging from a magnitude of 5.7 to 6.7. Since the 1500s, there had never been more than 4 noticeable earthquakes in a year here. The last major earthquake in Peru lasted 3 full minutes in August 2007 and measured 7.9 on the Richter scale; more than 300,000 people were affected by it, including destroyed homes, injuries and deaths.

This video clip shows footage during the 2007 earthquake on the Peruvian coast in Pisco and Ica and the chaos that ensues immediately afterward. A man plastered in the front seat of his car and another man buried in debris wait to be saved. “Don’t suffocate,” the reporter tells the buried man as he pulls away rocks. “At least you’re breathing. Others are already dead.”

When the magnitude-7 earthquake hit the Peruvian rainforest at 12:49pm last Wednesday, I was alone and saw my laptop screen moving back and forth slightly. I thought it was nothing until I heard the picture frames rhythmically clanking against the wall behind me. The epicenter was around 250 miles away from where I live in the Andes and the earthquake’s effects reached Ecuador and Brazil. Nevertheless, it was a deep tremor that hit a sparsely populated area. There was limited damage.

This is the first time I have ever felt an earthquake that lasted for more than a minute. A minute seems fleeting in the grand scheme of things, but it slows down and lasts an eternity when everything trembles around you. Not only are the objects around you on edge, but so are you.

As I researched for this blog post, I discovered that there were already three other earthquakes earlier this year in March and June ranging from 6.0 to 6.5 in magnitude. I wonder how many more there are to come. I wonder when it’s our turn after the devastating earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and Japan within the last 20 months.

I wonder if it was a warning that a magnitude-5.8 earthquake happened the day before at almost the exact time of day in Virginia on the eastern coast of the United States where earthquakes are rare.

I wonder if this is just the beginning and if Reinaldo Dos Santos, “The Prophet of America,” was right when he predicted that Peru would be subject to major natural disasters within the next eight years.

More importantly, I wonder what I will do before this is all over.

Before my world ends, I want to be more fearless (when I practice acrobatics), I want to let go of life’s little worries and frustrations more often (like if our bus doesn’t arrive on time) and I want to laugh more (especially at myself).

What commitment do you want to make before time runs out?