How I move by instinct, even at 3AM

The fire alarm sounded just after 0300, about an hour before my usual wake-up.

Instantly, I was pulled back 20 years to a different season of life, where fire alarms weren’t rare, but routine.

Offshore Life, oh the memories.

Working on rigs, sleeping in a steel box floating above the water while a drill bit penetrates the earth, the possibility of it going up in a fireball, all part of the job description.

I threw on clothes, grabbed my keys and camera, and was out the door in 3 minutes.

As I moved through the hall, people were just… standing in their doorways.

Confused.

Half-awake.

Not heading for the exits.

I couldn’t help but wonder:
What if it had been real?

Would they have made it out in time?

Have we tuned out the very sounds meant to save us?

Are we waiting for certainty before we move?

There was no smoke, no heat, no danger, this time.

But it reminded me how grateful I am for the conditioning that never left me.

Here's what working offshore taught me:

1. Alarms mean move. Don't hesitate.

2. Get to the muster point. Always.

3. Trust your training. You don't have time to think.

4. Stay calm, but never passive.

Even in a hotel, I treat alarms the same.

Because instincts aren’t built in comfort, they’re forged in repetition, under pressure, in environments where the cost of delay is too high.

The funny thing about rig life?

After the fire drill, you could always count on a hot plate in the galley.

Hotels don’t have that.

Just lukewarm coffee on a bench.

PS: What’s a habit or instinct that’s stuck with you for years?