There are so many things we take for granted each and every day. I don’t even think about the lights coming on with a flick of the switch. Hot water for my tea is available 2 minutes after I hit the go button on my tea kettle, and stays hot for an hour. Ready when I am. I never sat and wondered about my living room being warm in the winter and cool in the summer because of the dependable furnace and air conditioner.I don’t think about these things because they just happen. It just is!
Yesterday was a very blustery day. The sun was shinning for the first time in several days, but the wind was ferocious. It didn’t just blow for an hour or two, it howled mightily all day and in to the night. The trees rocked back and forth, dropping weak limbs and branches. In some areas, the trees were not up to the challenge and fell over entirely. Branches played tag with nearby power lines causing our electricity to flicker off and on several time during the afternoon and evening.
As we all settled into our beds, the lights flickered again. At 10:30 pm, they were done. The wind cheered in triumph! It had finally defeated our small neighborhood of three houses. The celebration continued into the night and was still raging this morning. Our power was still out.
The heat had not run all night and the bedroom was 56*F. The bathroom did not light up at the flick of a switch. The hot water only lasted a few short minutes. Hot water for my usual morning tea was not even an option. The living room temperature was 54*F! The boys could not do their online schooling because with out power, the WiFi was down. It was time to find a warm place with electricity and WiFi.
Picking out clothes with a flashlight is not as fun as it may sound, but I think my outfit matched for the most part. At least I think my socks were brown. The boys and I headed to Chick-Fil-A due to their abundance of heat, WiFi, and sweet tea. We arrived there about 8:30 and settled in with a power strip connected to the one outlet available to keep the laptops humming along for the boys’ online schooling.
We got word from a neighbor around noon that the power was back on! So after thanking our friends at Chick-Fil-A for putting us up for the morning, we packed up and went home. Once there, I started a fire in the fire place to help the furnace bring things up to warm from almost cold. As the guy settled in to finish school, they realized that the WiFi had not been restored yet. School was put on hold until internet capability returned about two hours later.
I so enjoyed lights brightening a room at the flick on a switch. I was giddy with the prospect of hot water boiling in the electric kettle in two minutes for my hot tea. While the furnace hummed along warming the house, I started a load of laundry, so appreciative of my machine and dryer that allowed me to clean the clothes so easily. After a day with out power, I was taking nothing for granted!
But now, as I sit here and type this on my fully charged gadget, I realize I have lost the appreciation for technology pretty quickly. Things are doing what they are supposed to be doing and I don’t have to think about it or plan around it not working. My day is progressing as it should. No hiccups or surprises.
How often do we treat those around us this way? When everyone is doing their job like they should we don’t even realize how easy they make our lives. But what happens when someone we depend on, is suddenly no longer there? Maybe they are sick or have moved or simply taken a day off. You appreciate them for a day when they get back but then things fall back in the rut of “normal”. So take a moment today and let those who you depend on - your kids, your spouse, your parents, a co-worker - and let them know you are thankful they do their job so well, even if their job is just loving you.
